HUNGER striker Bronwen Lankers-Byrne has changed tactics.

Early on Monday morning she handcuffed herself to the foundations of the Chapman’s Peak construction site, which she says prevented the pouring of concrete planned for Monday.

Lanker-Byrne broke her two-week hunger strike on Sunday night with a glass of fruit juice, and yesterday ate some paw paw. She has been joined by Fiona Hinds, who has been at the site since last week. Hinds (49) and Charlie Gorton (31) last week handcuffed themselves to the building, bringing a halt to construction.

Len Swimmer, chairperson of the Hout Bay Residents’ Association, says 800 to 1 000 people attended a sunset picnic on Sunday to support the protest. He says police questioned the women yesterday, but they left without attempting an arrest.

“This is the only course of action that government will understand,” he adds. Swimmer says SanParks referred their legal letters to Province, who he says referred the matter to Murray and Roberts. [Legal letters were sent to the aforementioned parties last week.] “They are all passing the buck,” adds Swimmer.

When People’s Post phoned Entilini, the company that operates the toll road, on a previous occasion, a spokesperson could not be reached for comment. Subcontractors referred questions to Province.

Terry Wyner, of the Civil Rights Action Group (Crag), describes the tolling system planned for Chapman’s Peak as “archaic”. He explains that a prepaid system would be a cost-effective and practical solution, and would render the planned plaza obsolete.

Wyner questions why, when residents of Hangberg in Hout Bay asked for SanParks land it was refused. Residents of Inzama Yethu were also refused land when they wanted to create a small vegetable garden.

Wyner maintains that the issues should be thrashed out around the table.

. Late on Monday afternoon, Lankers-Byrne said Hinds was about to be arrested for alleged malicious damage to property. This relates to alleged damage to signage on the toll road.

Environmental campaigner Lewis Pugh described this as “ironic coming from a company that was damaging a World Heritage Site”.