By Clinton Moodley, Siboniso Mngadi and Zimasa Matiwane
Durban may well be the warmest place to be but the poor state of the facilities along the Golden Mile before the school holidays start won't leave a good impression on visitors.
A Sunday Tribune investigation has found that, on the 16 beaches along the promenade, many restrooms facilities were filthy and not being maintained and beach showers and taps were broken.
The July school holidays are a critical time for KwaZulu-Natal as thousands of upcountry visitors leave the cold behind for the coast's temperate climate.
During last year's winter holiday season (June to August) the province welcomed 1.8 million visitors and earned R2.9 billion in tourism revenue.
Our investigation found the most common problem for beachfront visitors was that there was no toilet paper. Where toilet paper was available, people were not told where to find it, even when an attendant was present. Attendants said toilet paper was stolen if it was left out and the dispensers damaged - which was why they dispensed it by hand - or kept it hidden.
Inside the restrooms taps were broken and most hand dryers were not working. There was rarely soap, bins were not always provided, some restrooms stank and many were not clean.
Two toilets on two separate beaches were filled with faeces.
With the influx of visitors also comes the need for beach showers, but almost half of the outside showers were not working.
The beaches were tidy, although visitors complained about broken glass in the sand. Beachgoers told the Sunday Tribune that Durban might claim to be a world class destination, but the beach facilities painted an entirely different picture.
Tino Soldairy, on holiday from Greece, who used the facilities at Wedge Beach, described his experience as "unpleasant".
"The toilets were not clean, there was no soap to wash my hands and no toilet paper available. The smell was awful and I would definitely not use the facility again. I would rather use the toilets in my hotel room," he said.
Sheldon van Staaden, from Cato Ridge, said he couldn't find an outside shower that worked. He also said he had to monitor his son on the beach because there was broken glass in the sand.
"We love the beach and coming here with family is always special, but the bad management from the officials and their not taking any initiative to solve the existing issues may cost them their credibility," said Van Staaden.
Busi Mzimela, from the South Coast, said the toilets were "smelly and dirty" and she preferred to "go" in the sea.
PR councillor for the beachfront Avrille Coen said it had been a five-year battle to get the municipality to clean up the beaches.
"All our correspondence sent to the city has fallen on deaf ears. They wanted to implement a beach manager who was to handle the day-to-day running of the beachfront but that did not materialise," she said.
Head of Durban Tourism Phillip Sithole said he was aware of the problems and was working with the city to resolve maintenance issues and make improvements.
"The department of strategic projects issued tenders in May and we are now awaiting appointment of service providers. I am certain that soon these issues will be resolved," said Sithole.
Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, James Nxumalo, who wrote a strong letter to the people of Durban about littering which was published in the Tribune last week, said he was unaware of the problems as they were not reported to him during executive meetings.
"This is a critical time for us as the holidays bring in hundreds of visitors. We will try to sort out existing issues by next week Friday," said Nxumalo.
Sunday Tribune