Good afternoon SAHPA members,
The Kleinkrantz carpark (also known as “carpark” site is closed on instruction from SANParks. This includes all three sites sites. No-one may launch at these sites in the very short term. SANParks will be fining pilots (R2500) who do not comply.
A small SAHPA team (Louis Stanford, Pete Wallenda and Jeff Ayliffe) are currently engaging with SANParks Wilderness to resolve the issue. We hope to find an interim solution in the next two weeks, while developing a long term and more sustainable solution.
Hostility and aggression
We have unfortunately received complaints about pilots expressing hostility and aggression towards SANParks rangers as well as people associated with the Erf 1297 development (see more below).
This is an appeal to all SAHPA members to please keep your tempers in check, and to treat officials with dignity and respect. We are in a very sensitive stage of negotiations and volatile individuals can easily cause significant damage to our diplomacy.
Background
There are a few converging themes that led to SANParks making this decision:
- SANParks has been trying to establish an agreement with “the paragliders” for some years, but these discussions have usually been made with schools, and not SAHPA. SANParks has been therefore been unsure of how to address this with a representative body.
- NEMBA regulations require that anyone utilising a park for a specific activity (ie. paragliding and hang gliding) must have permission to do so.
- SANParks is risk averse to lawsuits that may follow a potential accident involving members of the public.
- SANParks is concerned about the degradation and erosion of of the Kleinkrantz launch site, as well as the pathway that leads up to the launch, as this is weakening the sand-dune.
- SANParks is concerned about the congestion of the parking area particularly in the festive season. In the past, unknown schools have blocked off the parking area, preventing members of the public from accessing the parking.
Development of Erf 1297
On 22 October 2024, Dr. Gwen Theron, a Environmental Planner representing the developer that intends developing the plot of land (Erf 1297) directly behind the Kleinkrantz launch site, hosted a stakeholder engagement session to get community feedback. SAHPA was invited to this meeting, Pete Wallenda attended. We have expressed concerns that the proposed buildings will encroach on the launch. Our concerns have been noted by the Environmental Planner and Developer, and will be considered as the design is refined.
The environmental assessment describes the general degradation of the erf, including the damage caused by people utilising the steps to the top launch site.
Further reading
While we are pained at the (hopefully temporary) loss of a magnificent site, we remain confident that we will be able to come to a suitable and sustainable long-term agreement.
The SAHPA Committee