Ndlambe scoops enviro awards
Three beaches awarded sought-after Blue Flag status
Ndlambe Municipality has been awarded Blue Flag status for three of its beaches at the annual WESSA Blue Flag Awards ceremony in Plettenberg Bay. The prestigious award comes as Ndlambe was also named the Sarah Baartman District’s Greenest Municipality.
Of the nine Blue Flag beaches in the Eastern Cape, and 51 across SA, Ndlambe boasts three. There are three in the Kouga municipal area and three in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
The WESSA Blue Flag Awards ceremony, hosted by Bitou municipality and Plett Tourism, took place at Lookout Beach on November 3. In recognition of their excellence in safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards, 57 Blue Flags will be proudly flown at 51 beaches, four marinas and on two tourism boats
across SA over the upcoming 2022/2023 Blue Flag season.
Twenty Pilot sites were awarded for this year and they will work towards meeting the minimum requirements for full Blue Flag status.
Bitou mayor David Swart said the fact that the Blue Flag was voluntary showed commitment to environmental sustainability from the participating municipalities.
Ndlambe had applied for three beaches to receive the 2022/2023 Blue Flag International nod earlier this year. In the Eastern Cape, nine Blue Flag Beaches were awarded, three in Ndlambe, three in Kouga and three in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“We, the Ndlambe municipality, and the Ndlambe community at large, should be proud of this achievement,” spokesperson Cecil Mbolekwa said.
“Ndlambe s Blue Flag beaches – Kelly’s Beach,’Port Alfred, and Kariega Main Beach, Kenton-on-Sea, have never once lost their status. Kelly’s Beach first obtained Blue Flag status during the 2005/2006 season and has for the past 18 consecutive seasons obtained the award.
“Kariega Main Beach obtained its first Blue Flag status in 2009/2010 and for the past 14 consecutive seasons obtained the award. Less than a handful of municipalities in SA have such a record of consecutive awards,” Mbolekwa said.
Middle Beach in Kenton-on-Sea, a Pilot beach for a few years, achieved full Blue Flag status for 2022/2023.
“The new ablution facility at Middle Beach was built after an application was sent to the department of tourism to work towards getting full status.”
Lifeguards will be placed on Kelly’s and Kariega Main Beach from December 1 2022 to April 30 2023, and at Middle Beach from December 3 to January 3. Regular water samples will be taken and environmental education programmes rolled out.
“The Blue Flag programme had led to many seasonal and long-term jobs, and put Ndlambe on the map as a destination of choice, Mbolekwa said.
The Royal Alfred Marina in Port Alfred also obtained Blue Flag Marina status for the 2022/2023 season.
The news came days after the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (DEDEAT) declared Ndlambe the Greenest Municipality in the Sarah Baartman District.