Eastern Cape environmental officials are under huge pressure to approve housing developments in the cash-strapped province, as developers eye its pristine coastline.
Environmentalists fear political pressure may lead to uncontrolled development, as officials are strong-armed into cutting procedural corners.
They have raised strong objections to an R850-million luxury housing estate adjoining Kenton-on-Sea, whose environmental impact assessment (EIA) was approved last month.
It is understood that the Eastern Cape’s economic affairs and environment department came under heavy pressure to approve the EIA, with Premier Nosimo Balindlela personally calling an environmental officer to unquire about the progress in granting authorisation.
Balindlela has referred to the estate as one of the province’s economic successes, which would help ensure ‘an unprecedented era of economic investment, growth and prosperityâ€.
The Ndlambe municipality’s corporate services director, Angus Schlemmer, also recently wrote to consultants telling them the ‘project enjoys political supportâ€.
Schlemmer confirmed this week that Balindlela had backed the estate, and that the ward councillor had pushed for it to go ahead. ‘It would bring many benefits to the town.â€
Former First National Bank chief Chris Ball, who has appealed against the EIA approval, complained that developers had started targeting the Eastern Cape after the Western Cape tightened up on coastal development.
Ball said the Kenton area had some of the province’s most environmentally sensitive land, and to talk of an ‘eco-estate†was cynical. ‘It utterly ‘de-ecos’ the land and precipitates the spoilation of this whole section of the coastline.â€
Morgan Griffiths of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) agreed. ‘There’s a lot of political pressure on environmental authorities to approve these developments,†he said.
Environmentalists say developers who perceive the environment as an obstacle run to departmental managers, who instruct environmental officers to give the nod. ‘Nobody’s saying ‘no’ to developers,†said East London coastal scientist Allan Carter.
All privately owned land between the Kei River and the Western Cape border is earmarked for development.
The coastal manager of the environment department, Nicholas Scarr, told the Herald newspaper last month it was imperative that local government decisions should be ‘informed by a centrally driven vision embracing the profound value of the coast in its present formâ€.
The 230ha Kenton Eco Estate comprises 330 units on beach frontage extending 2,15km along unspoilt coastline.
Critics object that the urban edge of Kenton-on-Sea has been shifted to accommodate the estate, even though it is labelled a ‘conservancy network area†in the Ndlambe municipality’s spatial development framework.
The land was also classified a ‘high conservation priority†by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University researchers two years ago.
Griffiths said Wessa was happy with the spatial development plan, but that Ndlambe was changing the rules.
‘We have great concerns about its decision-makers. Lots of things are being allowed that don’t seem to make sense,†he said.
Department spokesperson Jeff Peires said that as the Kenton Estate’s record of decision was currently under appeal, the department could not answer questions about the project.
‘Our response will become a matter of public record in due course,†he said, saying the matter was sub judice.
The premier’s spokesperson was unavailable to answer questions before the Mail & Guardian went to print.