Port St Johns, central to the Wild Coast

The circumstances under which South Africa's international off-road motorcycle racing ace, Alfie Cox, was arrested at the weekend, allegedly at gunpoint, are being investigated by the Eastern Cape environmental affairs department.

Cox, a registered tour operator who has been bringing small groups of foreign off-road enthusiasts to the Wild Coast for the past 10 years, was slapped with a R10 000 spot fine, which he paid in cash to avoid spending the weekend in police custody and having his motorcycles confiscated.

He was leading a group of Australian and New Zealand airline pilots on a ride out of Hole-in-the-Wall on Saturday when he allegedly led his clients into a vehicle-restricted area.

Cox, of Paris-to-Dakar fame, said he appreciated strict laws aimed at preserving the environment and did not have an issue with the fine if he had broken the law. But he took issue with the way in which the environmental officer had threatened him with an R1 service rifle and forced him to lie on the ground in front of his clients.

Wild Coast Holiday Association chairperson William Ross said the incident was most unfortunate, and that this was not the first one which involved the officer.

"A fortnight ago I wrote to the tourism and environmental affairs department and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation about (his) actions.

"The government has a difficult battle to curb the plundering of the Wild Coast and people such as (the officer) have a difficult job. But there are ways of doing things."