The iconic Mazeppa Beach Hotel on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast has closed its doors, blaming the state of the road as a major contributing factor to its downfall. The hotel’s closure is a significant loss of a major tourism attraction in the area known for its fishing, unspoilt beaches and birdlife. When tourists had to deal with ruined tyres on the road into and out of Mazeppa Bay on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast, tour operator Owen Richter knew the writing was on the wall.
“I have a house in Mazeppa Bay, and in the past few years the roads have just become worse and worse,” he said. A well-known and popular tourist attraction in Mazeppa Bay, the suspension bridge, had to be closed in December because it has become dangerous to use. (Photo: Owen Richter) “If you take the road from Centane to Mazeppa Bay you will see very little left there. The road has been washed away. There are just rocks sticking out now. That road cuts up tyres like you won’t believe. Parts of the road have been washed away. You can’t drive there with a car,” he sai