A holiday resort on the Wild Coast will be demolished after a Butterworth Magistrate’s Court ruling found the place was built illegally. A Saturday Dispatch report notes the owner of Dwesa River Lodge, Nompucuko Maqubela, was found guilty of 15 charges, including building in the coastal conservation area without authorisation from the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

Maqubela was sentenced by Magistrate Doreen de Waal to two years imprisonment or ordered to pay a fine of R2 500 wholly suspended for five years on condition she is not convicted of a similar charge during the suspension period.

The date to demolish Maqubela’s property has not yet been set.

The report notes Maqubela began building her 9 000m² lodge in 2003 and continued to complete the structure despite being warned against doing so on numerous occasions.

Meanwhile, Maqubela’s lawyer Nelson Nombambela, of Nombambela Attorneys Inc, said they would appeal the sentence.

‘Nothing is over yet, I have received instructions from my client to file for an appeal against the decision of the magistrate so there is no way I will comment until the case is over.’

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