Hout Bay wreck owners face action

inlsa

UNBEARABLE HULKS: The fisheries department is to take legal action against the owners of seven sunken vessels that have been left to rot for years at Hout Bays repair jetty. The owners will have to pay for the wrecks removal once the litigation has succeeded. Picture: BRENTON GEACH

Kwanele Butana

THE fisheries department is to take legal action against owners of sunken vessels left to rot for years at Hout Bay’s repair jetty, as a programme to rehabilitate 12 harbours in the province is in full swing.

It is to cost the Public Works Department R108 million.

“The construction periods for these contracts range from six months to three years,” said public works spokesman Thami Mchunu.

The harbours are at Hout Bay, Kalk Bay, Gordon’s Bay, Gansbaai, Arniston, Stilbaai, Saldanha Bay, St Helena Bay, Laaiplek, Lamberts Bay, Yzerfontein and Hawston.

Mchunu said, however, the programme would not pay for the removal of seven sunken vessels at Hout Bay. Their owners would have to pay, once the fisheries department litigation succeeds.

“According to our information, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has already instituted legal proceedings against owners of the vessels,” he said.

The department’s spokesman, Lionel Adendorf, said the department was taking legal action against the owners of the vessels and that proceedings had started against some of them. He said the department was still tracking down owners who had moved from their known addresses or had changed ownership of their vessels.

Mchunu said some of the projects had already been completed, including the infrastructure, breakwater walls and slipways at Gansbaai and Arniston harbours.

Repairs to the breakwater wall at Yzerfontein and the slipway at Hawston had been successfully completed.

“The mechanical slipways and cranes at Kalk Bay, Hout Bay and Saldanha Bay have been completed, while the slipways and cranes at Lamberts Bay, St Helena Bay and Hermanus are progressively under construction and should be operational by the end of August,” he said.

Mchunu said work at the Hout Bay harbour included repairs to state-owned buildings such as compliance offices, storage facilities, staff housing and fish-cleaning sheds, but not leased buildings.

“Repairs are being done to public ablution facilities, and the construction of the disabled ablution facility is also under way, as well as repairs to civil infrastructure such as roads, breakwater walls and stormwater systems,” he said.

Mchunu would not discuss the submission of a private member’s bill to Parliament by the DA which proposed legislation to allow municipalities to take over the management of harbours.

Other repairs and replacements include:

l Electrical installations in buildings which supply power to boats and security lights.

l Water supply to seagoing vessels, wooden jetties and road markings.

l Perimeter fencing gates and signage.

l Sinkholes and resurfacing of worn roads within some harbour areas, including repairs to the mechanical slipways and cranes.

kwanele.butana@inl.co.za