The popular Muizenberg Beach huts remain plagued by vandalism with patterns indicating that most incidents occur during the heart of winter.
In 2022, People’s Post reported that merely months after the refurbishment of the Muizenberg Beach huts there were already signs of vandalism with beachgoers noticing scribbling at the side of one of the newly built huts.
The beach huts are managed by the Beach Hut Trust (BHT) which was founded by Angela Gorman in 2020 and aims to restore and protect these City assets.
BHT is a partnership between local residents, private companies and City representatives.
People’s Post spoke with Friends of the Muizenberg Beach Huts members, Gorman and Tony Maneveld. They expressed their ongoing efforts to clamp down on acts of vandalism and safeguard the huts.
The huts are more than a century old, with origins in the early 1900s.
The most recent break-in happened on Saturday morning 28 June.
“One of our employees, who cleans the huts every morning, discovered this couple in the beach hut, they had broken in and tried entering one of the other huts but were unsuccessful. So we had two huts vandalised and we have to repair,” Gorman said.
The couple had items that were not meant to be in their possession and were taken to Muizenberg Police Station where they were charged and released the same day.
“This is not the first time these kinds of break-ins have happened. This winter alone we’ve seen 30 break-ins where people have damaged locks, doors just to see what’s inside the huts but we’ve placed signs which says the huts are empty so its sheer vandalism.”
Gorman claims police and law enforcement takes a long to respond to their calls.
“We were very lucky that our beach hut employee took the couple to the police station herself which sped up this whole process.
“Since there are cameras in the area, we’d like to access this footage so we could instantly see who’s trying to break in these huts and see what they’re stealing,” she said.
Maneveld says of the 76 beach huts that they look after, they closed 45 and left a few huts for people to use free of charge. “All the huts are screwed down with double doors. The damage to the huts is substantial.
“We are volunteers and rely on donations which is not forthcoming, we have no sponsors to help us and try to best to make money by selling merchandise which also costs money to produce,” he said.
People’s Post reached out to the Muizenberg Police Station for comment but they could respond before the time of publication.
The City’s Recreation and Parks Department says it is aware of the matter.
“These kinds of occurrences have taken place in the past, particularly during the winter period.
“As an interim measure, a decision was made to remove the doors of the huts to avoid vandals breaking in and damaging the structures around the doors. Security has since ensured that these structures are not used illegally until the matter is resolved,” the City explained in statement.
According to the City, there is a 24-hour security patrol around the Muizenberg Pavilion, Muizenberg Beach and the entire Surfers Corner, including the huts.
“Vandalism and theft are major challenges affecting many communities throughout the City. When it occurs in community facilities, it attracts anti-social behaviour and results in fewer recreational facilities for communities with few alternatives.
“The cost of continuous repair or replacement of damaged assets is unsustainable. Community involvement has been shown as one of the topmost contributors to protecting recreational facilities from vandalism, as behaviour changes when they are perceived to be valuable community assets,” the City said.
The department appealed to residents to report incidents of vandalism and/or theft as soon as possible so that corrective action could be taken.
The public can report these incidents to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre at 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
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