The Hibiscus Coast dares to go bare

29 October 2014 - 02:01 By Nivashni Nair
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HANGING OUT: Neels Theron and Daniel and Celeste de Wett (pictured on Umhlanga's unofficial nudist beach) are among supporters of KwaZulu-Natal's first official beach for naturists, near Trafalgar on the South Coast
HANGING OUT: Neels Theron and Daniel and Celeste de Wett (pictured on Umhlanga's unofficial nudist beach) are among supporters of KwaZulu-Natal's first official beach for naturists, near Trafalgar on the South Coast
Image: JACKIE CLAUSEN

Residents will have to turn the other cheek when naturists descend on the beach near the Mpenjati Nature Reserve on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

The Hibiscus Coast Municipality yesterday approved an application for the province's first legal nudist beach on condition that a formal application is made to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

Municipal manager Maxwell Mbili emphasised that the council would work with the South African National Naturists' Association to secure another location should the application be rejected.

"The application is for them to decide on logistics. The association said to us that it was amenable to any other beach so we will look at another location if the application is denied."

Mbili said public opinion on the nudist beach had not been ignored.

"There is a saying that majority rules while minority is heard. The councillors that voted today represent at least 13000 people in each ward."

Only eight of the 45 councillors voted against the application. Five abstained from voting.

Mbili said residents who were opposed to the beach were against nudity in public.

"The beach is not nudity in public. That beach is not even in use.

"We are saying that the beach will be a public beach but is designated for people who want to go there to practise what they want to and to see what they want to."

He said the nudist beach was a tourism product: "The council notes the strength of the application is based on the fact that it will create a marketing platform for the municipality to attract national and international tourists, which will lead to job creation and economic development."

Yesterday's approval did not mean that naturists could immediately start visiting the beach.

"There needs to be signage put up and other logistics that need to be attended to therefore we need to make that application to the department and Ezemvelo," he said.

But the association's chairman, Athol Lutge, plans to push for the nudist beach to be opened to the public before peak tourism season in December.

"We will now start looking at parking, ablution facilities and signage while working on the application," he said.

It would also investigate an official launch of the nudist beach. Lutge did not say whether guests would bare it all.

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