Durban - The money allocated for a nudist-friendly beach on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast should be used to provide service delivery instead, the Inkatha Freedom Party said on Wednesday.
“The municipality has failed to provide services to the people but they rather focus on things which are not essential to the daily lives of our people,” national chairman Blessed Gwala said in a statement.
“People need service delivery not a nudist beach.”
He said the money should rather be used to uplift the community and provide people with decent housing. Such a beach was against the social and moral values of South Africans.
“The municipality speaks about economic growth but it doesn't care about the effects a nudist beach would have on moral values.
“The IFP believes that people should only walk around nude in the privacy of their own homes if they so wish.”
Hibiscus Coast municipality spokesman Simon Soboyisa said earlier a council meeting that sat on Tuesday had approved the application for part of Mpenjati Beach north of the lagoon and Trafalgar Beach to be proclaimed as a nudist beach.
This followed an application by the SA National Naturists Association (Sanna) and the KwaZulu-Natal Naturists Association.
The associations argued that a nudist-friendly beach would benefit the country's economy and boost property values in the area.
Soboyisa said the application tested the municipality's resoluteness in upholding the Constitution's provisions against unfair discrimination.
The application was met with resistance from some people, who argued the beach could lead to increased crime, promote promiscuity, and moral decay. Others argued that public nudity was against their culture and religion. These were found to be subjective assumptions.
“The council also considered that the research showed that such a proclamation has a potential of creating a marketing platform for Hibiscus Coast to attract national and international tourists, which will lead to job creation and economic development.”
The municipality and the applicants would approach the department of economic development and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to secure the necessary permission for signage and the construction of ablution facilities.
This was necessary before the nudist-friendly beach could open.
“All of our bathing areas within our beaches are provided with security or law enforcement and yes, once this area starts operating, law enforcement will be provided,” Soboyisa said.
Sapa