Nude beach lobbyists push for law change
Nudists, whose initial attempts to declare a KZN beach a legal bare-all area failed, are now planning to petition the national government to amend the Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1969, TimesLIVE reports.
Lofty Lutge, chairperson of the South African National Naturist Association, said once the Act was amended, municipalities would be entitled to amend their bylaws to provide for nudist-friendly beaches. They have set their sights on a 250m stretch in Trafalgar on KZN South Coast for their nudist beach.
In a 2017 report, which scrapped the municipality's permission for a legal nudist beach, the Public Protector said there was no wording or suggestion in the Act which hinted at criminalising nudity in a designated and access-controlled nudist beach.
The Concerned Citizens Group, which had approached the Public Protector in opposition to the application for a nudist beach, said there was no way to designate a public area for nakedness without excluding members of the public. Chair of the group, Reverend Mike Effanga, said they would never support such an amendment, arguing that there was sufficient provision in the Constitution and other Acts for nudity to be practised as a private option, not as a public option.
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