A regular column where we dig a little deeper into what is happening with the groyne field project in St Francis Bay.

Our first column consists of some straightforward questions to Wayne Furphy, who is the Chairperson of the St Francis Property Owners Association and the SFPO Non Profit Company.

 Many questions have been floating around about the progress of the Long Term Coastal Protection Solution in St Francis Bay. Most of the questions pertain to whether we will actually see this groyne field project come to fruition, what the groynes will be constructed out of, and when we can expect the construction to start.  

SFT: Are we going to see the groynes being constructed? 

 WF: Groynes are used around the world to protect and preserve beaches. A groyne field consisting of six groynes forms the basis of our Long Term Coastal Protection Solution in St Francis Bay. The groynes will be constructed using rocks. We start with the two groynes on the Spit, then move to Anne Avenue where we construct the third groyne. We will then nourish the beach between the two groynes on the Spit, as well as Main Beach to the south of the Anne Avenue groyne.

When will construction begin?

WF: We expect to be ready to start construction in September this year. This will depend on (1) the price tendered falling within the cost estimates calculated by Worley (the Coastal Engineers who designed this solution) and the funds we have available at this point in time, and (2) the time required by the contractor to mobilise for this project, i.e. moving their equipment from their current location to St Francis Bay. We expect the construction of the three groynes and the sand nourishment on the Spit and Main Beach to take approximately 14 months. The remaining groynes and sand nourishment will be undertaken once we have additional funding available to do so.

The fundraising update can be found here

Some examples of groyne fields

Maputo

Lisbon