Kiosk at Anse Source D’Argent demolished |01 February 2024

Mr Ernesta (first left in photo left) and family members confronting the police (Photo: Contributed)

 Owner seeks clarification

Yesterday, the police were at Anse Source D’Argent, La Digue, to dismantle a kiosk owned by one of the island’s local businessmen, Antonio Ernesta.

The chaotic incident between Mr Ernesta, supported by other family members and the local authorities was captured in a video that went viral.

Mr Ernesta was seen talking the police, questioning the call for him to take down the new structure.

Seychelles NATION reached out to Mr Ernesta via phone to get his side of the story.

“The police stated that I constructed the kiosk illegally. The fact is that all the kiosks constructed on the beach do not have a plan,” he claimed.

“The kiosk was almost completed two weeks ago, and so far, I have spent R100,000 on the facility. The reason given to me was that I do not have permission to build. I kept asking if they have permission from the court to destroy my kiosk, and no one could provide me with one,” added the frustrated owner.

“The La Digue police kept saying they got the permission from Mahe and they do not need any paper to pull it down.”

Mr Ernesta’s older brother Melton, told our newspaper that the whole family was present on site yesterday morning, along with around 10 police officers.

“We have asked for any official paper or document that gives permission to pull down this kiosk, and they could not provide us with anything. Anse Source d’Argent is a public domain, and according to my sources, the land does not belong to l’Union Estate,” he said.

“The kiosk was built to sell fresh juice and fruits to clients,” stated Melton Ernesta.

It should be noted that around 1pm yesterday, Seychelles NATION was informed that the kiosk was already being demolished.

There are currently five kiosks at Anse Source d'Argent. The newspaper sought clarification from the Seychelles police yesterday afternoon to clarify who had ordered the take down and on what grounds but we had not received any response at the time of going to press.

Both the Enterprise Agency Seychelles (Esa) and l’Union Estate on La Digue told our newspaper that they do not have anything to do with the management of the beach or the kiosks built on public beach.

The question remains who ordered the demolition and why?

Vidya Gappy