Beachgoing made easier

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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - A special mat and floating wheelchair with three large wheels have been obtained by the Mossel Bay Municipality for wheelchair users to enjoy the sea.

The municipality notes that there are other towns and cities in South Africa that have similar apparatus in terms of the wheelchair, but in the Western Cape it is only Mossel Bay and Cape Town, that have the mats to provide access to the sea.

PHOTO GALLERY: A first for Blue Flag beaches

In Mossel Bay the mat and wheelchair will be available from 1 December until 31 January, which is the duration of the Blue Flag season.

They will be rotated between the five Blue Flag beaches - De Bakke, Santos, Hartenbos, Little Brak and Glentana - to allow access to the ocean, according to the municipality.

The municipality is already looking at expanding this service by procuring more units.

Councillor Leon van Dyk, portfolio chairman for Community Safety, said this was a step towards pursuing one of council's principles of "enhancing universal access".

The wheelchair must be used during the Blue Flag beach times when lifeguards are on duty: 08:00 to 17:00.

It will take time to move equipment from one location to another, especially during holiday traffic on Mossel Bay roads, so the municipality asks to be informed at least 24 hours in advance to ensure it can have the equipment at the designated beach on time.

Those who wish to use the equipment can notify the lifeguards on duty and they will ask their supervisors to contact the municipality, which will arrange the necessary pick-ups and drop-offs. Also, lifeguards will at all times be present during the use of the wheelchair because they need to accompany the person when the wheelchair is being put into the water.

The use will only be within the designated swimming areas at the beaches, marked with two flags by the lifesavers.

Besides asking the lifeguards, those who wish to use the mat and wheelchair can pre-book them by contacting Mossel Bay Municipality (044 606 5000) and asking for Rudi Minnie or Mushfiqah Abrahams in Environmental Management or email them (rminnie@mosselbay.gov.za and mabrahams@mosselbay.gov.za).

At a later stage, the municipality will be placing sign boards at the beaches with the necessary details and instructions on how to book the equipment outside of the Blue Flag season.