Durban — EThekwini Municipality’s target to woo nearly a million tourists this festive season could be hampered by the persistent pollution of the beaches.
The City has been forced to close six of the busiest beaches in Durban Central after test results showed high levels of E coli.
These are the Point, uShaka, South, North, Battery and Country Club beaches. All of them tested more than the accepted 500 threshold and the City immediately closed them.
In a statement issued on Monday, the City blamed the heavy rains, saying that it is normal to have poor water quality when heavy rains continue to fall in Durban because foreign objects washing from the rivers and streams, as well as other water sources, move into the ocean.
“The joint sampling was done on December 7, 2023 (Thursday),” read the City’s statement.
“The results show levels of E coli that are higher than normal. This is after several days of heavy rainfall in Durban, which washes pollution from rivers, streams, and stormwater systems into the ocean.
“This has been linked to the latest ‘poor’ beach water quality results.
“It is normal to have poor water quality when heavy rains continue to batter the City. This results in pollution, including foreign objects, washing from rivers and streams as well as other water sources into the ocean,” it said.
The City added that Durban has experienced several days of heavy rain since last week, which has also led to the postponement of some outdoor events.
It further stated that the joint sampling with independent laboratories was done once a week, but it is in addition to the City’s regular monitoring and routine weekly testing across all of its 23 bathing beaches, confirming that the beaches with “poor” water quality have been closed while re-sampling and monitoring of the beaches continue.
The City announced that the repair and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure were also ongoing and significant improvement had been made following the extensive flood damage.
Reacting to the latest results, ActionSA councillor in eThekwini, Alan Beesley, said the latest independent testing for beach water quality along Durban’s and uMhlanga’s beaches reflects that the sewage crisis continues unabated and is getting worse. The health of residents and tourists were at risk, he warned.
“As such, as ActionSA, we believe the beaches should be immediately closed. Furthermore, ActionSA calls for testing to be done on a daily basis and that beaches should only be opened when it is clear that the quality of beach water has improved consistently,” said ActionSA.
Weighing in on the matter, DA councillor Gavin Hegter said the party noted with extreme concern the latest seawater E coli test results, adding that the tourism industry cannot afford yet another poorly supported festive season.
“The reality is that the ANC/EFF municipality has failed in addressing the root cause of the problem. It is foolish to declare our beaches safe based on the occasional low reading. The frequent contamination is a huge threat and unfortunately, the delay in testing is putting beach-goers at risk,” said Hegter.
African Democratic Change leader Visvin Reddy called for swift action, saying the results were extremely alarming.
Presenting the state of readiness a few weeks ago, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda announced that the City was expecting 950 000 visitors to Durban shores, adding that all the beaches were safe for swimming, which was informed by low E coli results.
However, he indicated that the testing will continue and that the City would be testing the water quality twice a week.
The closure of these beaches was expected to hamper the City’s effort to increase tourist visits.
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Daily News