During the past nine years we were to Hermanus numerous times for long-term stays on the beachfront at Voelklip. We used to love this tiny beach with stunning ocean views, gorgeous sunsets and pristine nature. Hermanus in general used to be a tranquil, very safe and decent little town. Voelklip used to be a preferred spot for groups of elderly people to swim just after sunrise and then enjoy coffee&rusks, while during the day the beach was full of families with kids. It was always peaceful and safe.
The latest time was shocking. Dog owners started bringing huge dogs and letting them run loose on the beach, amongst people with little kids. Few examples:
- 10th April 2026: a middle aged guy was jogging on cliff path with two dogs off leash, then he went to swim at Voelklip, leaving his huge ridgeback and mutt to race each other in the midst of little kids, scattering from dogs.
-11th April: old woman with german shepherd and two retrievers off leash, dogs chasing after ball in the midst of swimming crowd.
-12th April: old guy let his two huge dogs out of car, off leash, to race through parking lot down to the beach, not even checking on them.
- 8th April: scraffy oldish woman appeared on the beach around 17:30, with two sickly looking mutts, both off leash. She started by kicking soccer ball amongst people and her dogs rushing after ball, growling at each other, ready to start a fight. She proceeded to harass people who meerly tried to avoid any contact with her pets. Then she threw some plastic refuse on someone's towels and deliberately called dogs to walk over towels. She was screaming: "I live here!" Maybe she literally lives there between rocks with cormorants and dassies, as she behaved as a homeless drunkand. But even if she or anyone own/rent any house in Hermanus, it does not give an exclusive right over surrounding public areas. Coastline is owned by the state for the benefit of public, with applicable rules to ensure peace and safety for everyone. The Law Enforcement Unit caught her red handed under prominent sign: "ONLY DOGS ON LEASHES ALOWED", "CLEAN AFTER YOUR DOG". She started disgusting quarell with the officers, shouting at them, pushing them with her hands, poking her finger in their faces. But the officers got her personal details for the fine. By then several fathers of the families on the beach approached the officers, thanking them for doing there job and confirming that it is endeed a recent issue at Voelklip with huge dogs off leash and it must be stopped before anyone is bitten (in fact, there are on average 5,000 cases of dog bites reported annually across the country, which is phycological trauma, health issues and risk of death from rabies for every victim). Hopefully, that despicable female will get criminal record for assault on officer and harrasment of people, since one of the fathers committed to testify in the court. The phone number of Law Enforcement Unit is on the board at the entrance to the beach, on top of the steps. They are endeed doing a great job.
There are also some people who bring their small dogs and let them roam around off leash. None of those owners, same as huge dog owners, clean after their pets, which use the tiny beach area as a toilet for the whole day. Each wave take dog feces to the people swimming in the ocean. High tide cannot clean it either: the rocks create a small bay around the beach, leaving the sewage in tidal zone. We have never seen such dirty ocean water in Hermanus. No wonder, stomach bug is circulating in Hermanus since early this year.
This is a recent phenomenone of dog owners at Voelklip, who willingly and deliberately, on daily bases desregard bylaw, cause risk to health and safely of others, pollute enviroment, disturd local ecosystem and wildlife (there are some seals, dassies and several endangered bird species are residing on surrounding rocks). This is disgrace for Hermanus, because there is an ample leashoff green zone on closeby Grotto Beach with wide stretch of endless white sand, where dogs can ligally run off leash for kilometers.
