COMPLIMENTS have been pouring in for Kouga Municipality in the wake of a successful festive season.
Many property agencies reported a record year for rentals, with the demand for holiday accommodation stretching over a longer period than usual.
While the overall visitor tally is still to be finalised, Kouga Executive Mayor Horatio Hendricks said the municipality was pleased with the number of tourists who spent their holiday in the region, bringing much-needed support to local businesses.
“We have some of the best beaches in South Africa and they were packed with holiday-makers day after day,” he said. “It was also great to see residents and visitors keeping themselves fit and healthy, be it by jogging, cycling, swimming or surfing.
“Our region was further spared from devastating fires and floods while there were minimal interruptions in the electricity supply, save load shedding, and water provision despite the drought.
“Our cleansing teams were often up at the crack of dawn and operated in the dead of night to make sure that when residents awoke, they arrived at pristine clean areas.”
Plenty of fun activities took place across the region, including the first-ever laser shows to mark the Opening of the Season and New Year.
Sport events such as the USN Touch Rugby, St Francis Sport Summer Series, the Marina Mile, Caltex Holiday Run and Pam Golding Quadrathlon also drew scores of participants.
Other event highlights included the Flash Float, which attracted more than 3 500 “floaters”, a Glow-in-the-Dark Colour Run, a variety of music shows and markets, as well as food and wine festivals.
Safety and security
Teamwork helped to keep locals and visitors safe in Kouga this past festive season.
Hendricks said compliments had been pouring in for Kouga’s lifeguards, who kept a close eye on bathers while the NSRI’s pink buoys helped to save the lives of two teenage boys at Jeffreys Bay who got caught in a rip current.
A Joint Operations Centre (JOC) had been established to coordinate the efforts of all roleplayers. “The JOC met every morning, including Saturdays and Sundays, for roleplayers to report back on what has been happening in their sectors, identify problem areas and roll out solutions,” said Hendricks.
Additional safety measures included regular beach patrols by foot or quad bike, while all-terrain and 4×4 vehicles were used where permission could be obtained from the Department of Environmental Affairs.
Look-out points were also erected at high-risk areas to improve visible policing.
