News24 | R250 beach boom gate fee raises ire of Port St Johns’ business leaders

The eastern access road leading to Second Beach in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape.

• Eastern Cape’s Port St Johns Municipality has imposed a R250 fee for vehicle access to Second Beach on the busiest days of the festive season.
• The municipality said the fee was to ensure the safety and convenience of visitors to the beach.
• Local business chamber chairperson Nzamela Ncoyini stated the fee reduced beach access and threatened small businesses dependent on tourism for survival.

Summer typically brings a tourism boom to the Eastern Cape seaside town of Port St Johns, but stakeholders have expressed concerns about a R250 boom gate fee for vehicle access to Second Beach.

According to the Port St Johns Local Municipality’s festive season schedule, the fee applied only on the typically busiest days.

It was first imposed on 26 December. Additional earmarked dates include New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The decision was made to control the crowd to and from the beach, the municipality said.

In a notice to holidaymakers, stakeholders and communities, the municipality stated no vehicle would be allowed entrance to the beach without a permit, which required a fee payment.

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Second Beach is one of the Wild Coast town’s premier destinations, drawing large crowds during the festive season from surrounding villages and holidaymakers from across the country and the globe.

The decision to impose the fee for motorists seeking access to the beach area has left stakeholders fuming.

The decision did not affect pedestrians wanting access to the beach, according to the municipality.

Port St Johns Business Chamber chairperson Nzamela Ncoyini said small businesses were being negatively affected by the decision.

“Imposing this fee means reduced access to the beach, which in turn means reduced business for small business operators. This is not only affecting hawkers along the beach but also all businesses in Port St Johns, which are dependent on tourism to survive.

“We queried this with the municipality and asked them to review it because we believe that, working with other law enforcement agencies, they have the capacity to control the crowds. Their response was that they can only review it in January or February,” Ncoyini added.

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Port St Johns Municipality spokesperson Simthandile Ford said the decision was made to allow vehicles to park strictly in allocated parking spaces, provided they have permits.

“These permits are charged at different amounts depending on where the space is. This has allowed the municipality to ensure that the number of vehicles parked at the beachfront is the number that can be accommodated by the space available.”

Luthando Bara, the president of the Black Business Forum, believed the decision was misguided, unlawful, and economically reckless.

“Any attempt to commercialise basic public access, without a clear legal basis, stands in conflict with established South African law and constitutional principles that protect the right to freedom of movement and equal access to public spaces.”

Bara said the decision trampled upon the “heart of an already fragile local economy”.

“Port St Johns survives largely on seasonal tourism. During the festive period, beachgoers are not a luxury. They are the lifeline of small traders, hawkers, informal vendors, accommodation providers, transport operators, and many households whose only meaningful income for the year is earned during this short window.”

Ford said the decision was made to decongest the beachfront, allowing a free flow of a few cars and creating a clear path for emergency vehicles.

“The fatalities we had before the implementation of the regulations were largely caused by medical response time and not the extent of the injuries.

“The municipality has many other measures it has put in place, including the total closure of the First Beach, which previously had numerous shark attacks.

“We are pleased that this year, we were able to recruit 26 additional beach patrols and temporary lifeguards. We urge the public to rely on official channels for updates. Your safety is our priority,” added Ford.

Bara called on the municipality to “immediately reverse this decision, engage meaningfully with local business structures, informal traders, and community representatives, and adopt solutions that grow the economy rather than suffocate it”.