It's going next to the airport which is far away from the heritage site. This campaign is a load of shit, it turns green activism into a joke when stupid stuff like this have the audacity to try and 'save Robberg'
While I agree that the development is encroaching on a wonderful natural area. The development is several kilometres away from the Robberg Nature reserve. The petition shows disingenuous photos of the Nature Reserve being developed. There are larger developments that are already built and that are much closer.
Thanks for posting this! I can't stand this kind of shit. I already thought the "BEFORE" and "AFTER" thing was a bit sus and over the top- literally the most extreme worst case scenario ever put front and center to evoke emotion via (highly likely) false representation.
I was literally about to click the "Lodge Objection" button but after coming back here and seeing this I have decided not to sign it. As you mention, its surrounded by development already and not nearly as bad as this campaign is making it out to be.
The most egregious thing is the complete misrepresentation of the facts by whoever is running this campaign. If it was transparent from the start I would likely have still signed it but I can't stand this kind of manipulation and makes me wonder who's really the bad guy in this situation- so I will reserve my opinion on the matter for the time being.
Not to dox myself but please sign! Literally anything helps The Garden Route is being taken over by property developments, Joburg owned Restaurants and Boutique Hotels. It's disturbing and there is not enough infrastructure or resources for another couples of thousands of people to move to Plett.
I disagree.
I hiked Robberg a couple of weeks ago.
That site that is earmarked sits next to a quarry. Yes, an open mine. This is just bullshit. I don't want developments on World heritage sites or designated nature reserves - but this is just nonsense.
166 houses. That is less than the new shacks being built in Kwanakotula every month.
And if somebody wants to develop an area next to a quarry - please have a go at it.
This is probably being driven by somebody that has a finger in another pie and want to stop private enterprise.
Irrespective of how far away it is, it impacts the nature reserve by cutting it off from surroundings. Viewing nature reserves as isolated, self sustaining islands is really short sighted. The remaining undeveloped areas around nature reserves should be kept undeveloped and mature reserves should be expanded.
Please read my comment again. That site is next to a quarry. There is an open mine between the nature reserve and the development site. It's not next to or adjacent to the reserve. Robberg should be saved. But this is just blowing smoke. This is not saving anything.
Having worked on many coastal EIAs before I found the arguments prese ted here weak, and often irrelevant or unsubstantiated – especially the headliner figures OP posted.
Doesn't it still impact the reserve though? It's not uncommon knowledge that property developers have a tendency to use private property to gatekeep access stop public spaces.
What's stopping them from erecting things like private gates on the roadways to inhibit transport and logistics into the reserve area?
What's stopping them from building waste disposal systems directly affecting the ecosystem?
The development is 4.5km away from the nature reserve, if they can block access from that far away then they are beyond us mere mortals. And I assume they will make use of the existing infrastructure from the existing developments for waste management. But yes, building anything has an impact on the environment and they need to submit reports, plans etc that will details that. Those reports are not only reviewed by the local government but by environmental review agencies. Obviously there is room for corruption in all of this, but I am not going to accuse someone just because they are building something.
And you keep asking what is stopping them from doing whatever they want, that would be the local government and local residents. It is very easy to take a developer to court in our country, often with free representation.
Thank you, someone actually did a bit of research. The imagery and post is misleading the reader to thinking they building on the reserve. Comments goes to show the sheep mentality of just reacting instead of reviewing.
I didn't feel like the post disingenuously implied anything of the sort, and the main point it makes is that the effect of the increased construction waste and sewerage runoff can and will devastate the ecosystem, this shit is serious man
The petition purposefully does not show the actual location. They have a before and after slide with Robberg becoming a dead dune. The environment in the developed area will be pretty much destroyed I agree. But it will not turn the nature reserve into a dead sand dune.
Literally my first thought when I got to the bottom! And now after seeing how the whole campaign is misrepresenting things, I wouldn't be totally surprised if this was more about that than the actual issue at hand. Its a custom website and domain (as opposed to an established platform) and almost definitely AI generated (I've made similar extremely quickly) so they control all the data... it all feels a bit sus.
I typed out a whole shpiel and just deleted it all. I wanted to say something about this but thought it would be counterproductive to the cause the petition is fighting for. Conflicted.
Fraudsters are certainly not in the business of reading the intentions from their victims. To them, it's simply the shortest route to getting what they want: your personal data.
Just making this a standalone comment as well for everyone defending the development:
Check, even if it is further away, it is still going to be covering up a large part of that green slab down there. This is setting a precedent, how much of that slab are we going to lose if we are constantly ok with taking another piece because a closer one already exists?
Its just a shame. They are likely throwing that name around because the animals that live in that stretch are likely migrating over the whole green are. Robberg IS going to be affected by this development, ecosystems arent buildings, they are alive. Its like saying your head wont care if we remove your foot, and its fine because you already lost a hand
Just crying wolf for nothing. New property development next to the airport. Just east of the location there's already a tonne of development by the beach
Check, even if it is further away, it is still going to be covering up a large part of that green slab down there. This is setting a precedent, how much of that slab are we going to lose if we are constantly ok with taking another piece because a closer one already exists?
Its just a shame. They are likely throwing that name around because the animals that live in that stretch are likely migrating over the whole green are. Robberg IS going to be affected by this development, ecosystems arent buildings, they are alive. Its like saying your head wont care if we remove your foot, and its fine because you already lost a hand
Open up Google maps and look where the development is. Next to the airport, this whole thing is a shame. The heritage site is much closer existing houses than any new development
I can easily ask you the same question. Look at the 2nd photo of this post, there's already loads of houses next to the beach. The new development will be further away than this and by the airport which isn't even visible because it's so far away
This is how corrupt Kenya 🇰🇪 government allowed The Ritz-Carlton, build Masai Mara Safari Camp on the wildebeest migratory corridors and it's a disaster. Don't allow it. Google it
Whats it with these developers that want to build up the eco corridors? We had a group want to do it outside wilderness as well... And then the morons who buy there will complain about damage from nature when something happens...
Why do we need to fill our whole address out if we are just signing a petition?
I want to sign it but filling out my literal whole street address for that is wild.
They building next to areas that have already been developed. They not even building close to the nature reserve. You people need to find a better use of your time. If you want to protest go protest the houses that border the reserve.
If it’s a UNESCO heritage site, why is unesco allowing it? Why is the custodian government department allowing it? What can mere people do if those 2 failed or uninterested?
Not young Schalk Burger who is a decent human being but his dad who was a Springbok too and who is a golfing buddy of the actual developer, Johan Rupert. Old Schalk is always in financial trouble and needs bailing out.
Removing the habitat of our fauna, flora and many beautiful animals, for mostly empty habitats of whiny humans who care about the quality of Internet... Ya no hey. Those them in the sea.
Done, shared it on Instagram as well. If anyone happens to be in any Plettenburg Bay Facebook groups (or have family members or friends who are), I highly encourage sharing there to boost the petition unfortunately sharing it in Gauteng based groups just gets them deleted.
Tourism is sooo good for the environment okay.
This is what happens when you invest in only tourist attractions and forget you’re a country not a resort.
I think its so sad how humans just want to build and build and not acknowledge that they destroy nature and the homes of so many animals, at some point it has to stop, the animals wont have anywhere to stay, and they were here before us haha
Aunty's Helena the DA Godfather allows this to happen - money talks and politicians do the work.
Corrupt is endemic - the rich property developers control the politicians who control the municipalities.
Umm you can see on the development plan that this is nowhere near the seal colony.
Can this anti-rich-developer sentiment please stop. 99% of the time it’s just a normal property development process which equates to job and growth creation. There is this rhetoric that all developers are bad and evil. This is just not the case.
Please understand the context and realities of development before having a hissy fit over misinformation that is designed to trigger emotion
Irrespective of how far away it is, it impacts the nature reserve by cutting it off from surroundings. Viewing nature reserves as isolated, self sustaining islands is really short sighted. The remaining undeveloped areas around nature reserves should be kept undeveloped and mature reserves should be expanded.
This is a legit petition, run by a well known local. Whether you feel you've been duped by misrepresentation of the before and after is besides the point. Nature will suffer, the people will suffer and the community will suffer. Plett is being taken over by these estates left right and center. There is not enough infrastructure or resources for this
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u/Beyond_the_one The opposite of efficiency, which is to say, justice 20d ago
Please email the Major Jessica N. Kamkam on [jkamkam@plett.gov.za](mailto:jkamkam@plett.gov.za) or give her a call on
072 769 2342 . Additionally, as she part of the DA, I advise contacting Geordin Hill-Lewis on [Geordin.hilllewis@capetown.gov.za](mailto:Geordin.hilllewis@capetown.gov.za) and give him some advice to fix the situation.
Please note this information comes off public government websites so it is not doxing.
https://www.gov.za/xh/about-government/contact-directory/city-cape-town-metropolitan-municipality/geordin-hill-lewis-mr
https://www.bitou.gov.za/mayor