Makhanda High Court orders immediate halt to illegal Wild Coast building

Two years after a group of women were allegedly assaulted on a Wild Coast beach, the high court has granted an interdict which bars the construction of any further illegal structures along this protected environmental landscape.

In a ruling earlier this month, the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Makhanda ordered that local resident Nero Dlamini (or his agents or contractors) be restrained and interdicted from constructing any new buildings within 1km of the sea near Sigidi village.

The order, granted on 8 May 2025 by Acting Judge V Sangoni, follows a heated confrontation about the erection of illegal structures close to the beach almost two years ago.

Local activist Nonhle Mbuthuma (joint winner of the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize) and fellow women residents were allegedly beaten with knobkerries while attempting to halt building work on a new structure inside the protected coastal zone in April 2023.

Mbuthuma has played a central role in opposing plans for dune mining and a new toll road along this northern section of the Wild Coast.

Shortly after the confrontation, Mbuthuma secured a Rule Nisi (interim interdict) from the high court to prevent further building close to the beach at Sigidi that was in conflict with Transkei Environmental Conservation Decree 9 (which prohibits construction of any buildings without a special permit).

In the most recent ruling, the court also ordered Dlamini to rehabilitate any cleared land. The Sheriff of the Court was also directed to dismantle any illegal structures, with the assistance of the SA Police Service if required. 

Though the application was opposed, Dlamini and his legal representatives did not appear at the latest hearing. DM