The first universal access mat at Muizenberg Beach was rolled out by the City of Cape Town’s Recreation and Parks Department, in partnership with the Western Cape Health Department.
The Mobi-Mat is a lightweight, environmentally friendly roll-out walkway that creates easy access for wheelchairs and people with walking aids. The mat was donated by Western Cape Government Health via its Western Cape on Wellness (WoW!) programme.
“This is the launch of the first-ever Beach Access Mat in the province. Accordingly, it is expected that the installation of the Mobi-Mat would facilitate the empowerment and social inclusiveness of persons with mobility impairments through their participation in coastal recreation and leisure activities,” said Western Cape Provincial Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo.
“As a Department, we recognised the need to give dignity and equal access to all members of society to our award-winning coastline,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Zahid Badroodien. He thanked the WoW! Programme for its donation and noted how exciting the development of such products was. “Not only will make the beach more enjoyable for those with a disability/differently-abled, but it will also add value to mothers with baby strollers and the elderly.”
The project is being piloted at Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town’s flagship differently-abled-friendly beach. The beach has demarcated parking for the disabled, ramps, hand railings, ablution facilities and an amphibious wheelchair.
“The launch of the mat marks another step forwards toward co-creating inclusive healthy lifestyle-enabling environments. We are grateful to our partner, OCAL Global, for the support in procuring the Mobi-Mat,” said Deputy Director: Increasing Wellness, Western Cape Government, Dr Frederick Marais.
The beach mat will now undergo a series of tests as part of the pilot project, and will only be available for public use once all legal documentation has been finalised. It is anticipated that this process will be concluded by the end of March.
