T0 ensure that the Kabeljous Nature Reserve has a secure bridge to allow the public, who visit the reserve in Jeffreys Bay, to safely cross the creek, in times of high-water levels in the Kabeljous estuary, a group of volunteers recently dedicated their time to rebuild a bridge.
As previously reported by the Kouga Express, the volunteers are part of the Kabeljous Reserve Action Group (KRAG), which was established as a non-profit volunteer organisation in 2018.
Since the provincial conservation authorities did not have the necessary resources to manage and maintain the Kabeljous Nature Reserve, personnel of the local Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) office, together with concerned members of the local community, formed the group.
Hennie Swanevelder, who is the chairperson of KRAG, said the NPO, which was also a public benefit organisation, was established to give legal status to the volunteer group, to enable its members to maintain and manage the reserve.
The group’s recent project involved revamping a bridge at the reserve. “The pallets used for the previous bridge at the reserve were old and with some planks decaying, the group felt it was time to revamp the bridge,” said Swanevelder.
With help from donations of old benches by the Supertubes Foundation, every Wednesday during the month of March the group of approximately 10 volunteers met at the reserve to work on the construction of the bridge.
“On March 23 the volunteers cut the old benches to size and treated the planks while on March 30 the actual work on the bridge began which included dismantling the old pallets and replacing them with better and thicker planks,” said Swanevelder.
KRAG’s next big project will be to upgrade the parking area at the entrance of the reserve. “We plan to use brick pavers which were also donated by the Supertubes Foundation, to demarcate the parking areas,” said Swanevelder.
He said since KRAG is an NPO and PBO, it is not funded by the government, and they are therefore reliant on donations and willing helpers. He further said volunteers who are willing to assist with some of the physical management tasks can join the group at the entrance gate on Wednesdays from 09:00.
- For more info visit the Kabeljous Reserve Action Group Facebook page or email Hennie Swanevelder on swanevelderh@gmail.com.
