Tourism light at the end of the coal tunnel

COAL is at the heart of many of the problems this region is experiencing. From the ‘war zone’ that is the R34/R66 alternate route into the City of uMhlathuze via Mthonjaneni and Nkwaleni to the Port of Richards Bay, we have inherited an appalling situation.

On one hand, fully-laden side-tipper trucks are destroying our roads and infrastructure.

They are causing major traffic congestion, disrupting the daily travel and business of the small towns along the route, while accidents and protests are shutting down business and leisure travel.

Add to this the many collisions that are stretching emergency teams to the limit.

But there is also the plight of the truckers themselves, as their vehicles are being hijacked, they are being robbed, and thieves are stealing diesel and vehicle parts.

Then they arrive at a destination that has no truck stop or proper rest facilities after a gruelling trip.

Alton is inundated with trucks that block business access, while coal spillage mounts on roads and pavements.

In the port itself, coal dust has become a huge issue, to the extent that some passenger cruise liners have decided to give the Port of Richards Bay a miss this season.

One local tour operator says he has to fetch 35 clients from Durban harbour and then fly them to Port Elizabeth to rejoin their vessel.

Tourism will be seriously affected without this annual forex injection from wealthy passengers.

The only bright light in the darkness of the coal situation is that a bumper number of international yachts are reportedly heading towards the Zululand Yacht Club in Richards Bay.

These travellers normally spend many weeks at the moorings, not only venturing into the game reserves, joining township tours and visiting places of interest, but also carrying out maintenance on their boats and replenishing their provisions – all of which brings money into the local economy, down to grassroots level.

Let’s be thankful that this wonderful asset is able to provide a service of worldrecognised excellence to our visiting seafarers, as illustrated by the glowing testimony from one such visitor in this edition (see page 14).