National Security has demolished structures at the La Pleasure Resort and an adjoining popular leisure spot, the Polo Beach Club.
The exercise did not spare any structure, including another popular club, Vienna City, which is within the country’s oldest and most popular beach destination.
Other structures demolished included the security post, tollbooth and administration block.
The resort lies between the La Beach Hotel and the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, both facilities owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust.
The Polo Beach Club, which lies to the Eastern Wing of the five-star Labadi Beach Hotel and borders the Kpeshie Lagoon estuary to its West, was also brought down by the operatives.
The Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stanisluv Xoese Dogbe, later took to his Facebook handle to explain that the exercise was carried out by the National Security at the request of the Labadi Beach Hotel to secure its beachfront, dispelling rumours that the government had a hand in it.
According to eyewitnesses, the demolition was led by the Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat, Richard Jakpa, and military personnel in the early hours of yesterday.
A Supervisor at the La Pleasure Beach, Nicholas Agya-Annan, told the Daily Graphic that the exercise was led by Mr Jakpa.
The exercise, which started at about 4 a.m. yesterday, also saw all shops, stalls and sheds of pubs within the vicinity brought to the ground.
A visit to the affected site by the Daily Graphic revealed piles of rubble from the demolished structures.
Some business owners and vendors said they had received notice of the demolition exercise two weeks earlier.
However, they said they were not informed of the exact date of the exercise to enable them to prepare adequately and relocate their wares and structures.
Sudden demolition
Mr Agya-Annan said the Labadi Beach Hotel had earlier held discussions with management about possible developments on the property.
He said the hotel intended to develop the rear part of its property, which would require the demolition of some of the existing structures.
Mr Agya-Annan said discussions took place about two months ago, but management was taken by surprise when they arrived at the site yesterday morning to find that the structures had been demolished.
He said there was no prior notice of the exact date of the exercise to enable affected businesses to prepare adequately.
“We don’t know who ordered the demolition. We were only told it was an order from above,” he said.
Mr Agya-Annan said management intended to pursue legal action to hold the hotel responsible for the demolition.
He also called on the government to explain the circumstances surrounding the exercise and urged that affected businesses be compensated to mitigate their losses.
Two divisional chiefs, Naa Koowa Omanye Aba I and Teiman Mantse, Nii Maaley, expressed concern over the demolition, saying the area had served as an important source of income for many young people and other residents in the community.
Clarification
Mr Dogbe, who also leads the Anti-Flood Taskforce, clarified that the demolition was not part of the government’s flood mitigation efforts.
“The action has nothing to do with the work of the taskforce along the Kpeshie Lagoon, East Legon Boundary Road, Oyarifa, behind Mayfair Estates, etc., which are efforts towards supporting the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources to mitigate any future floods,” he posted.
Mr Dogbe said the exercise was at the request of the Labadi Beach Hotel for structures built on its beachfront, including the Polo Beach Club and other facilities, to be demolished, following concerns raised by the hotel about their impact on the safety and tranquillity of the facility and the experience of visitors.
“These are structures, some permanently built (Polo Beach Club and others) on the beach in front of the hotel, and which, according to the business, are adversely affecting the safety, tranquillity and reputation of the hotel, diminishing visitor experience and undermining the orderly management of one of Ghana’s most important tourism destinations,” the Deputy Chief of Staff said in his Facebook post.
While deferring to the hotel for detailed explanations, the Deputy Chief of Staff said the necessity for the hotel to reclaim its beachfront must be understood and “we must all be concerned about the serious sanitation issues that these unauthorised and unregulated commercial operations cause, in addition to the security risks.”
Efforts by the Daily Graphic to reach the Municipal Chief Executive of La Dade Kotopon, officials of the municipal assembly and the Labadi Beach Hotel for comments were unsuccessful.
Loss of livelihoods
Some of the affected traders said the exercise had left them without a means of earning an income, as they depended on their businesses at the beach to support themselves.
One of the affected persons, a snack vendor who identified herself only as Akua, said she had restocked her shop two days before the demolition.
“I restocked my shop just two days ago and I came today to find out that everything has been demolished; I’ve lost my livelihood,” she said.
Another trader, Evelyn Mensah, said she was informed about the demolition while at school and she rushed to the beach because her belongings were there.
Ms Mensah, who sells drinks at the beach mostly at weekends, said she was distressed by the demolition because she depended on her business for her upkeep.
She said many young people had resorted to trading and other activities at the beach because of the difficulty in finding white-collar jobs.
“We try our best not to be a burden on the country.
We have decided to look for ways to survive, so why do this to us,” she said quizzically.
Ms Mensah explained that she bought goods in bulk and kept them at the beach, selling them gradually before returning to restock, saying the demolition had cost her business about GH¢10,000 and would also affect other young persons who depended on the beach for their livelihood.
She appealed to the government to consider the plight of the affected traders and the impact of the exercise on their livelihood.
Another operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the exercise as a major blow to businesses and livelihoods that had existed at the beach for decades.
The source said that in its 35 years of operating at the Labadi Pleasure Beach it had seen businesses and activities in the area passed down through generations.
“For this Labadi Beach, I'm 35 years. Before I was born, they were here. People have been here,” he said.
The source said the economic impact of activities at the beach went beyond the businesses operating directly on the beach, as people in surrounding communities also depended on them for their livelihood.
It explained that some people helped visitors park their vehicles, while others provided services to businesses and visitors to the beach.
The source added that the employment generated by activities at the beach had a multiplier effect on surrounding communities.
It questioned the demolition, particularly at a time when the government was promoting its 24-hour economy agenda.
