Have boats, won't neccesarily sail

KNYSNA NEWS - The owners of Malander Luxury Boating Charters say they are ready for business after having invested more than R8-million in setting up offices on Thesen Island and purchasing two boats – all to provide 5-star high-end boating and entertainment services in Knysna.

They claim that after two years of negotiating with Sanparks for a permit, they were recently told that the tenders were awarded to other private operators.

"This is unacceptable," stated Damian Malander in a letter addressed to the Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH). "We are a fully black-owned entity with a Level 1, 165% contribution, with a wealth of experience in the boating and entertainment industry."

He said they also have the same tourist operation in Mauritius, running successfully for more than six years, and are contracted to several 5 star-establishments to provide similar services to distinguished clients as well as the general public in Mauritius.

Job creation

"We are a young dynamic and professional company and we believe we are able to assist in not only job creation but the urgent need in upliftment of the water activities on the Knysna lagoon in a high-class and professional manner," said Malander.

They have set up two fully furnished offices on Thesen Island, for which they are paying monthly rent, and have two boats docked at the harbour.

Sanparks spokesperson Nandi Mgwadlamba said Malander missed an opportunity to engage with Sanparks before investing in the business. They also missed out on the tender process, she said, and that there was really nothing "untoward" in the entire process, which opened and closed last year.

She said they are confident that due diligence was followed and all companies were subjected to the strict evaluation criteria, including BEE, financial, operational as well as safety and environmental criteria as set out in the Request for Proposal.

She said a tender process detailing water activities in the Knysna estuary was advertised in February 2017 and closed on 7 April 2017, and that this was indicated to Malander Charters, who was also made aware that the recommendations for the successful bidders were already made to the bid adjudication committee, which is a national forum. The tender was publicly advertised on regional and local media platforms as well as on their website.

"All bidders needed to prove that their vessels and safety equipment comply with the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) certifications and that their skippers have the necessary licences and permits. Due to the quest to ensure that companies comply with regulations, the bid adjudication committee sent back the recommendations made in May 2017 because the companies needed to resubmit improved BEE credentials and hence there was a need to reevaluate this component," she said in a statement.

Sanparks 'follows regulations'

"The company [Malander] never participated in the tender process and there was no way Sanparks could work outside company policy and government legislation to grant them permission to operate in the estuary. Sanparks follows National Treasury regulations in all tender processes. Names of successful bidders also cannot be announced until all the signatures are obtained from national office – once this is done, we will freely announce all the winners of water activities in the estuary."

In spite of this, Malander head of operations Orrin Killian said it is "shocking to see that Sanparks are not open for new investments for business on an exciting scale for the Knysna community at large".

"We have sent several proposals to Sanparks and it was our understanding that we would be able to apply for a permit this year," Killian said, adding that they have received support from the Thesen Island Commercial Association, restaurants and building owners on Thesen Island as well as the Knysna Waterfront.

"Now we stand to lose on our investment. We've made sure that as part of our proposal we could prove that we have taken all precautions, adhered to all regulations and have complied with all requirements as per Sanparks' request," said Killian.

As part of their proposal, Malander stated that some of their experiences would include full, half-day, sunset and party cruises, waterskiing, tubing, wakeboarding, jet-ski rentals and exclusive fun packages available in Knysna, such as corporate events and year-end functions.

Mgwadlamba defended the "repetitive products" offered in the Knysna estuary: "We have to remember that the estuary is a protected environment and offerings must be compatible with biodiversity. Product offerings have to consider the carrying capacity of the estuary. We did offer different opportunities during the tender process as well."

Boats purchased by Malander Luxury Boating Charters are now just docked at the harbour - at a cost to the company every month.