The Kouga municipality will fight for beaches to be opened, it announced on Thursday.
Kouga mayor Horatio Hendricks said the municipality would make a court bid to have the closure of the province’s beaches overturned.
Hendricks’s announcement follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration that all Eastern Cape beaches would be closed between December 16 and January 3.
“There are uncertainties caused by the regulations, with some references being wide open for adverse interpretation,” Hendricks said.
“These matters include the definition of ‘beach’ and engaging in water-based sports such as surfing.
“It is the responsibility of the police to enforce these regulations.
“Our court application will be based on the importance of balancing saving lives and saving livelihoods.
“The Covid-19 curve in the Kouga region has not spiked significantly over the past three weeks, which is encouraging and supported by the high percentage of recoveries.”
Kouga, which forms part of the Sarah Baartman district municipality, was named a Covid-19 hotspot on Monday by the president.
As of December 16, the number of active cases in the province stood at 14,563.
DA provincial chair Andrew Whitfield welcomed the move, but the provincial government called it reckless.
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