Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Following a series of letters from unhappy readers who have asked what has caused the gash on the hill on the Western Head, here is the simple answer.

"Man in the street" writes: Let me explain how a grader works on a dirt road. It has a blade that is kept at an angle so that soil is moved from the centre of a road to the edges. What obviously happened was because of the steep bank on the downside of the road, this soil spilt over the edge and that is what you can see.

This was not natural erosion but so obviously man made because of carelessness."

Ronnie Webster, CEO of Featherbed Co confirmed that what people were seeing on the hill was indeed road working equipment and he confirmed that this land belongs to the Featherbed Co. Explaining why they were using road working equipment on the hill, he said that during the fire and debris had fallen onto this road that was partly concreted and paved. This road has been in use for the past 30 years. "We have to clear this road for access purposes and people will still see work happening on this road.”

Clearing and levelling the road was going to be done including paving the road to stabilize the dune, said Webster but he stressed advice had been sought from experts and that this rehabilitation of the road would be done in the correct manner to prevent further erosion. "The slope will then be stabilised in the short term by using seeded blankets and in the long term rehabilitated with the correct indigenous vegetation," he concluded.

Read a previous article: What is this gash on the hill?

'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'