Punch drunk, but on its feet
— Margate is determined to welcome tourists as usual in July
● They may have been left reeling by flash floods that washed away chunks of prime beachfront property in Margate on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, but residents, ratepayers and business owners are determined to be open for business come the July holidays.
Rain hit the tourism hub on Sunday afternoon, after a level 2 warning by the South African Weather Service, killing at least five people and causing damage worth millions of rands to water and road infrastructure.
But Stephen Herbst, of Tidy Town — a community organisation that maintains the coastline from Shelly Beach to Margate said farmers, residents, the government and business “sprang into action”.
“Farmers have estimated that we had 250mm-300mm of rain on Sunday night and there is no town that can handle that. But add blocked stormwater drains and you had a recipe for disaster.
“But we have a slogan that says ‘together we can do so much more’ and we’re here at the beach and will continue being here for the next couple of days,” said Herbst.
“This is all private sector. Everything here is the community and Tidy Town, Shelly Beach to Margate. We put out a notice saying we will be down here cleaning and we’re not amazed [at the turnout]. We have an amazing community and we knew that they would come to the party and they have. Big business donated and farmers got involved and gave us equipment like tractors and the likes and we’re working hand-in-hand with the community.
“We get to rebuild the town together, we get to look and learn from what we’ve done and what we’ve seen with these storms and the community comes together.
“That is the silver lining, we have probably one of the best communities in South Africa. This shows that South Africans are resilient, we stand up and we get things done. We don’t wait for anything, no handouts. We just know what we need to do and we do it.”
Herbst said they were learning lessons from the disaster and were determined to be up and running for the July holidays.
“I’ve lived here for 32 years and, of course, the damage as a result from the storm could’ve been handled better. We could’ve had river courses and stormwater drains clean and clear, we could’ve opened up certain river mouths. If we had the basics done and our infrastructure maintained and up to a service level we wouldn’t have the damage that we have.”
Dick Basday, president of the south coast Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said the rain was too heavy for the stormwater drainage system.
“The exact extent of the damage has yet to be ascertained as businesses are still dealing with the cleanups for now. The community, businesses and other organisations are working together to help with the cleanups.
“There are some businesses not much affected that have gone back to full operation. For some, it will probably take up to a month or two to fully get back on track, and some might be a little bit longer,” said Basday.
He said the old, dilapidated stormwater drainage system was to blame for the extent of the damage. Had the system been regularly upgraded and maintained, much of the damage could have been avoided.
Ivor Shead of One-Stop Mobile Mechanic, a car repair shop, said he would have to spend millions of rands to restart his businesses. He told the Sunday Times that four vehicles that belonged to customers were washed away.
He said four other customers’ vehicles inside his workshop were under water and damaged.
“All my tools got washed away. We had computers, diagnosis machines, jacks, engine cranes ... everything got taken. I am now looking at nothing. I have nothing left of my businesses and have to start from scratch again.
“What makes it worse is that my business was still recovering from the Covid pandemic. We have been really struggling for the past two years and just when things were starting to improve, this happened,” said Shead.
He said he didn’t have business insurance.
David Smith, franchise owner of a Wimpy that has been operating for 29 years, said it would take four to five months for businesses to be back at full capacity.
“We lost one day of business. When we arrived on Monday the shop was flooded and full of mud. Our equipment suffered a lot of damage but the staff really did everything they could to clean up the store and we opened the next day.
“It will be difficult for people to get to the beach as it’s not really that safe so it’s a huge setback for us.”
Smith said he expected government help, but it would take time.
“We live in an unbelievably good community. On Monday we had a drug and alcohol recovery centre send people down to help us, on Tuesday we had a huge effort from Tidy Town and we have a lot of normal civilian people coming to help clean up.
“Our staff have been fantastic, even those off-duty came to help. We’ve had hundreds of messages from all over the country, from people who come here for holidays, to wish us well.”
The south coast region is one of the preferred tourism destinations in the province, especially for its Blue Flag beaches.
South Coast Tourism & Investment Enterprise (SCTIE) said the Ugu District and Ray Nkonyeni municipality, along with volunteer groups and community members, worked tirelessly to clean the beach and the town.
“There are extensive cleanup operations under way in Margate, and though one cannot swim, it is possible to enjoy Margate Beach from the shore. To ensure the safety of all visitors, certain beaches on the south coast have been closed temporarily due to debris. However, it’s expected that these will be opened closer to the weekend,” it said.
SCTIE urged visitors to check with lifeguards to ensure safe bathing.
The Ray Nkonyeni local municipality temporarily closed its 10 beaches as a precautionary measure. The beaches, including Hibberdene, Mzumbe, Southport, St Michaels, Uvongo, Manaba, Margate, Ramsgate, Trafalgar and Port Edward, will remain closed until further notice.
All other beaches, including those in the Umdoni area, are open for bathing, said SCTIE.
Ugu District mayor Sikhumbuzo Issac Mqadi led a two-day delegation of multi disciplinary teams comprising technicians, engineers, law enforcement and disaster management teams. He said processes were under way for repairs to water and sanitation infrastructure.