It was a heated audience attending the public meeting held in the Newton Hall in Jeffreys Bay, to discuss the possible development of the golf course.
Deputy mayor, Hattingh Bornman, was interrupted continuously as he tried to explain how the process works. “This is not an official development plan, and council has not decided on anything yet. This is a legal process we are following by having public input,” he said.
No decision has been made yet
This was the first of three public participation meetings to be held. The Kouga municipality intends to sell the land to a developer for a mixed development including shops, housing and sports facilities. This does not include the tennis or bowling club. Bornman said the land was not for sale – the municipality received a proposal from a developer, and the council thought it might benefit the town. No decision can be taken by council without public participation.
“The possible development could be lucrative for the municipality as more funds would be available for delivery of services. It is prime land,” said Bornman. “Should the development go ahead, the council will provide another golf course. Private land is already available. We are also looking at other options like Paradise Beach.”
Golf club puts plans in place
Chairperson of the golf club, Frik Coetzer, said the club’s approximately 300 members had an AGM and compiled a memorandum of understanding. The mandate states that the club wants security that they will own the club, whether they stay or move. They got assurance from the municipality that a new facility would be provided.
“We want an agreement that if the property is sold, it would be transferred to the club, and if it is relocated, that we will own the clubhouse,” said Coetzer. “It will take at least three years to build a new course. Our sub-committee is happy to sign the memorandum of understanding with the developer and the municipality. If it happens, we have things in place,” he added.
Concerns to be written
Some of the concerns raised by the audience included: problems with water, electricity and sewerage services, impact on traffic, it might be a political stunt and the character of the town might change. Some would rather agree to a golf estate.
As loadshedding kicked in, Mayor Horatio Hendricks mentioned in the dark that Jeffreys Bay is the fastest growing town in the country, and proper housing needs to be provided for all income groups.
“We will not stop the growth. With hard work we ended the deterioration of the infrastructure and will prevent going backwards,” said Hendricks.
He reiterated that no decision had yet been taken.
“We received an intention from a developer, and we are now presenting it to you. It affects the whole Kouga, not just Jeffreys Bay. We are obligated to look at the concerns. This is a consultation process.”
Get information
Information can be found on the Kouga Municipality website at www.kouga.gov.za, on on social media platforms such as the Kouga Municipality’s Facebook page.
Two more public participating meetings will be held before the deadline of March 31, 2023.
Concerns or comments must be put in writing to the municipal manager, 33 Da Gama Road, Jeffreys Bay, or via a survey link on the municipal website before or on March 26, 2023.
