City rolls out mats to provide wheelchair-friendly beach access

WHEELCHAIR-BOUND people will now be able to get as close as they want to the shorelines of three Durban beaches, thanks to an innovation by the city of Durban.

For now, the facility will be available on three beaches: Amanzimoti, Addington and umdloti beaches.

The head of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, Thembinkosi Ngcobo, said he was thrilled when the I Love Durban organisation presented the idea to him.

Ngcobo said: “We bought special mats which stretch from the promenade to the shore. Members of staff will be on duty there during working hours to assist wheelchair-bound people.”

Ngcobo said he was excited that the projects had finally been implemented.

“In the city’s buildings, we have made great progress in making our facilities friendly for people living with disabilities, but when it comes to recreation there is a huge backlog. Some people are forced to leave wheelchair-bound people behind when they visit beaches, but that will be a thing of a past,” said Ngcobo.

“With this pilot programme we want to make all public beaches accessible, including swimming pools and parks.”

The department had recently formed a committee, which comprised city employees living with disabilities, to monitor the new programme, he said.

“They are going to drive this project because we believe they understand the needs of people living with disabilities.

“We are approaching the summer season and we want to ensure that most public facilities are as user-friendly as possible for people with disabilities,” said Ngcobo.

For the past couple of years, the city had been conducting research on how it was going to roll out the programme, which was said to be the first of its kind in the country.

RIGHT: Special mats will help wheelchair-bound people get on to Amanzimtoti,addington and umdloti beaches.