Kleinkrantz Dune Paragliding Launch Site

This is the amazing from our Kleinkrantz dune site

Sometimes the mood is perfect , we so fortunate to have place like this ..

We spent a bit of time clearing and cutting the launch and landing zone , cleared 2 boxes of rubble and half bag of litter as well ..we threw some organic fertilizer to give the grass a boost ..hope it rained a bit during the night ..cost R 200-00

Someone is having fun ..

Please guys lay our gliders on lovely grassy area we made just for you not on the road in front of residents parking area or on their property ..we trying to bond with our community not antagonise them ..cheers we will also need funding soon and remember it's the Skywings membership renewal coming up soon in November 15 so guys please support us to develop the sport and sites !

The rocks have been moved to block the guys from driving onto the beach so the launch is open we will be cleaning up site a little soon .

I have noticed that someone has dumped big rocks on the grass verge to the site in what looks like and attempt to block access to launch via 4x4 ..I have asked authorities what's going on ? I have also found out trees that were cut down were done by local resident which means all the cars parked are now exposed to the sun as well as the tired paragliders resting out the hot sun ..not cool

Hi there all had a meeting with main complainant Hans from Dolphin View about Kleinkrantz dune being used as paragliding site at the end of Hibiscus road .I ask all paragliders to adhere to what we agreed . I think its fair request . The other request from the landowner was rejected as it was leaning to closing the site down completely .

1. Don’t use drive ways of first two house next to cul de sac at launch to lay out gliders or turn vehicles around.
2. Don’t park in front of houses anywhere on the houses side of the road the demarcated parking bays opposite is ok .
3. Don’t lay out or walk into any part of property of the first two houses . Don’t drink from there taps .
4. Drop off pilots and park further down the road . Don’t loiter in front of house .
5. If he complains be respectful and don’t just ignore the guy .

Have not been to site lately how's the grass looking ? We looking for volunteers to help maintain sites ?

RESPONSE TO AUTHORITIES TO CLOSE THE SITE DOWN KLEINKRANTZ DUNE .

Hi there all as the Chairman of Skywings Paragliding Club we reject the closing of this launch site and access point .

We would like to inform you that your are effecting the following paragliding schools and business .

Dolphin Paragliding , Cloudbase Paragliding , Wild X , Skyhigh Paragliding , Flytime Paragliding ,Altitude Paragliding , Major Dad paragliding , Flyers Lodge , Wallendair , Skywalk paragliding ,Fly for Fun , Johan Anderson Hangliding school and many other schools that bring groups from other parts of the country to train on this dune area . Furthermore there are about 40 International Tours that use these dunes as well . The area has lost two critical sites already that lie within in your management areas already and we are not prepared to lose another critical site . The sites that we lost are Paradise Ridge a major paragliding tourist attraction and Gerrickes point the most scenic site in the region . We cannot get access to these sites due to private landowners preventing access via roads to these sites which we have been flying for over 25 years . We would to formally request help in doing so now as these were historical view points and paragliding sites and we are entitled to access according right of access laws ?

There are many local Skywings members who use this site on a weekly basis and they will be voicing there opinion shortly there are quite a few residents within the Kleinkrantz area who will be seeing the local councilor .

We are considering legal action as well and we will have a meeting to discuss this course of action as this has been done successfully against San Parks already with some success . Jaques Launch site ? Cape Town ?

I offer our proposal and hope we can have a proper discussion to reach a real solution to this dilemma .Please look at a photo above which would address your concerns stated at the meeting we had on site as it was not only the dune erosion which you are misleading the recipient’s of this email Vernon; when in fact it’s the complaints from one resident in particular who does not like the activity taking place in front of his house . We are going to be building momentum and will during the course of the week approach all local newspapers as I am sure fisherman , dog walkers amongst other will be displeased with your proposal as well . We are and Vernon believe me when I say its not just me, you are suffering an illusion (if you think it’s a small group of local paragliders) which is about to be dispelled in the weeks to come as we begin informing all the schools and tour groups about your proposal .

There are many local schools who employ directly and indirectly local people and you are hurting us here and what upsets me even more is that lack of proper consultation over all our sites and other potential sites . You should be asking how can you help us to establish new sites for example the hill at Bergplaas which is a potential International Paragliding site of International importance but it lies in DAFF land and its like talking to a brick wall to let them give us access . Other sites that lie within Mossel Bay are like Hartenbos has also been closed and we are now busy for the last two years trying to get permissions in place to use the site legally . You sit in your lofty offices and make all the right noises but its time to get to work and develop tourism on a real basis and become part of a vision for the Western cape development . Paragliding Tourism has grown a 1000 % over the last 10 years and bringing a estimated 10 million rand to this area . We also a draw card to this region much the same way as the Bungi , Mountain bike routes , Hiking , San Parks adventure activities and other adventure sports .We have at 7000-10000 people utilizing paragliding services in the form of Tandem and Training services .

We as the paragliding community don’t enjoy conflict but we will now be standing up for our rights as citizens to access areas where we live and enjoy the beauty and splendor of public beaches .

Thank you all for your time please note I have released the version of letter to Facebook and other forums and the response is overwhelming against this action .

We look forward to your formal response so we can consider the legal action to be taken if you continue with this proposal .

Thanks Deon

Hi there all I hate to bring bad tidings but we live in unreasonable times dealing with ignorance at all level of government . The Kleinkrantz Dune launch and access area is to be closed by San Parks in conjunction with Wilderness Municipality and Eden District Council . What does this mean ? Well they are not allowing anyone to access from the cul-de-sac and say access must be via wooden walkways. We cant launch from dune as well .

To give you some background I have a Skywings member been trying to get a indaba with all the role players for the last 10 years to little effect . I have had meetings with the Eden District Council to have a general meeting with the Municipal managers to discuss all the sites with the Eden District council with a plan to manage and improve all our sites for the benefit of tourism . I have sat in meeting with San Parks numerous times over various sites and also asked and pleaded with them to get together with all the role-players like Eden District Council and the Wilderness Municipality to help develop Paragliding Tourism . I have put personally money and time to develop the local sites for the benefit of all members and to develop the sport and tourism and more important safety of pilots . I attended a tourism indaba in Knysna discussing the role of paragliding tourism and the effect it has on job creation and economic growth . I have sent letters to Majors of Knysna and Mosselbay asking for help to put up safety signs and establishing order at sites like Hartenbos and Brenton . Brenton lower site we had some success due to the development keeping the launch open as part of the deal with Municipality . Hartenbos is ongoing affair for 2 years now and is bureaucratic nightmare .

I was recently called by the Eden District Green Scorpions to say we can must put on hold any site launch improvements until we could have meeting . This past Thursday we had such meeting and I quickly found out they were entrenched in there decision to close the site down and that this was not a discussion actually to come to some form of agreement . I gave a heartfelt impassioned speech about the benefits of paragliding tourism and explain the need to manage sites for the benefit and safety of all pilots otherwise there is chaos but this fell on mostly deaf ears . These are the highlights of the meeting .

1. They showed me a series of photos over the last years taking from the balcony of the house at the end of the street depicting the following . 4x4 parked on the grass area , Paraglider groups standing around , Horse and riders on dune , Many parked busses , paragliders launching , myself placing topsoil and cutting some grass down and there favorite picture was the paraglider on the roof of this resident . This resident has called the police to have cars removed from near his drive way .
2. The main drive of there argument was the residents are unhappy with traffic and disturbance and what to put a end to it . Fisherman are using this as main access way to beach as well .
3. The unhappy about the disturbance of the traffic down the dune that is causing erosion and they want the dune to become rehabilitated .
4. There arguments are also safety and they referred to the guy landing on the roof .
5. They said they willing to help us find a alternative site and I explained to them there is none in the area and there exist a problem with Paragliders overcrowding the sites .
6. They also mentioned off hand that we ..meaning myself did not want other schools to train students from Kleinkrantz Car Park as it was crowding our operations ? They mentioned they were happy with the site at Kleinkrantz car park and that we should use that . It seems some paragliders have been creating misinformation for there own ends as we don’t allow students to launch from the Kleinkrantz car park this was a decision by 9 local instructors and it went 6 /2 with one recluse .
7. They also said they having complaints about paramotoring from the Car Park Kleinkrantz but would deal with this separately .
8. They mentioned there is no facilities like toilets and not enough parking for the amount of people using the site .
9. They mentioned Natal Parks board has only permit access to most of there dunes with great success .
10. They admit to cutting down all the trees that used to gives us shade for the cars as they were alien pine ?
11. I asked them what about site like Jaques who has violated every environmental law under the sun they say they have no idea what I am talking about .
12. I mentioned to them we have other sites like Gerrickes and Paradise ridge which is on there land but we cannot get access to them due to private land access roads . I explained all the landowners are charging us to fly and its costing more and more to fly in this region . There answer is you guys are all wealthy and can afford it just like golfers have to pay there fees so do you .
13. I told them the taxpayer is paying all your salaries and paragliding is contributing to this tax base and thus the local economy as thus was paying in part there salary . They smirked at this point .

My proposal to them was the following .

1. Block with poles the beach access to prevent vehicles from driving on dune . Rejected .
2. To build ablution blocks . Rejected .
3. To control access at entrance to road with boom gate . Rejected .
4. To open the road at the back and put parking bays on the old road which is out the way . Rejected .
5. To build a wooden walk way down to the beach . Rejected they say there is already 4 walkways .
6. To rehabilitate the dune . Rejected , they say we need Environmental assessment which costs around R 200 000.
7. I explained the erosion gulley as you walk down dune was caused by a week of Easterly 50-70km wind 5-6 years that eroded the dune to its present state and destroyed our launch area .Not by mere foot traffic as the site was great for 15 years .
8. I said to them we are willing to control or stop flying from the dune for a period till vegetation corrects itself but still need access to training dune . Rejected, we have to go to wooding walkways we have to walk the long way around .

My impression is that the resident or residents are not happy with the activity in front of the parking area and want this to stop They have been calling the Eden District council and San Parks complaining daily and the guys are just gatvol of receiving these complaints and its easier to just close the access and hope the problem goes away . The other reason is I have been observing Parks Board watching the paragliding activities for a few days now and they are going to control access or try charge paragliders for using there land . Permit system like Cape Town .

I am going to call the local town councilor and right a letter to all parties rejecting there proposal to Town Council . I urge all paragliders and people who have an interest in Tourism to make your voice heard otherwise this could mean even less site available and more crowding and danger to pilots . If they close this site I will not vote for DA in municipal elections and I will start a campaign against this unreasonable . I suggest you guys make your voices heard otherwise we could look at a future where we don’t have any free sites .

I am not sure how they going to control this access but the fact that they don’t realize the impact of what they doing and there unwillingness to develop tourism out of the narrow scope of thinking is what has saddened me and it begs the question is this what we have come down to ? A Town council entrenched in there bureaucracy and rules with no imagination and drive .

Pathetic !

Cheers all

Deon Borrett

Contact to complain .
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected] Wilderness Rate Payers association .

I suggest send letters to pages on San Parks and Eden District Council .

Cutting lawn and clearing site yesterday and we worked a little on the Car Park as well R 200-00 for worker and fuel for bush cutter provided by Deon Borrett