Overview
- KwaDukuza officials say no decision has been made on shark nets at Tinley Manor and an environmental impact assessment will be conducted before any installation.
- Marine scientists oppose nets and drumlines, pointing to 2025 data from KwaZulu-Natal that recorded 416 sharks killed along with dolphins, rays, and endangered turtles.
- Researchers propose non-lethal monitoring such as lifeguard-operated drones and shore-based spotters, which are used in Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay, but they say these options were dismissed as too costly.
- The acting head of research at the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, Matt Dicken, is reported by scientists to back nets as reducing attacks, and the board did not respond to media questions.
- Club Med and the developer say safety on the public beach is the municipality’s responsibility, with the July opening expected to add about 1,000 daily beach users as the sardine run draws more marine life to the area.