The iconic Mazeppa Beach Hotel on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast has closed its doors.
The hotel was unable to recover from the negative financial impact of Covid.
The management also blamed the state of the road as a major contributing factor in its closure.
The hotel’s closure represents the significant loss of a major tourism attraction in an area known for its fishing, unspoilt beaches, and birdlife, according to Daily Maverick.
The road has been washed away and rocks are left protruding which can damage tyres. No one can drive safely without a 4×4 vehicle. It takes three to four hours to cover the 60 kms of road.
Property owners closed the suspension footbridge to Mazeppa Bay Island in December, because it became very dangerous to use. ‘Now that it needs repairs it is suddenly nobody’s bridge. No government or municipality wants to take responsibility for it’, says owner Owen Richter.
The DA’s Eastern Cape leader, Andrew Whitfield, says the DA has received desperate complaints from the agriculture sector. ‘Currently, many farmers are repairing roads at their own cost, which is neither fair nor sustainable.’
Whitfield said that tourism and agriculture ‘are the backbone of the rural economy and they deserve the premier’s urgent attention. Without roads, there is no economy’.
The Department of Roads and Transport was said to have failed to deliver services, after a three-year investigation by the Public Protector.
Roads and Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha said R800-million had been allocated to road maintenance this financial year, but closer to R3.8-billion was needed annually.
Last year, the South African Human Rights Commission began an investigation into roads that give access to ambulances, other medical vehicles and health facilities.
The Public Protector has also investigated complaints about the roads, and about the work of the police.