DA accuses eThekwini of beach safety “cover-up” after report omits high bacteria levels

THE Democratic Alliance in eThekwini has raised concerns about the safety of beaches in Durban, claiming a cover-up by the eThekwini Municipality.

Yogis Govender, the party's exco member, said they were deeply concerned that the municipality was not being honest with residents and visitors about the state of Durban beaches.

Govender said that in a recent report to the Executive Committee, the city failed to mention the high levels of dangerous bacteria found in the water.

"This raises serious questions about why the municipality chose to hide such important information at the start of the festive season," said Govender.

The municipality on Tuesday, December 2, in a media statement said that all 23 beaches were open and safe for swimming, following the latest water quality test results.

This was as the city braced itself for an estimated influx of 1.3 million visitors over the festive season.

The statement said that the municipality had been working to restore its coastal facilities to the standards it enjoyed before the floods in April 2022 and reiterated its commitment to providing safe, welcoming, and world-class beach experiences.

"We remain committed to ensuring safe, welcoming, and world‑class beach experiences for all residents and visitors during the festive season and beyond.

"The beach water quality continues to be constantly monitored by a team of expert scientists at all beaches to ensure that Durban complies with water quality and safety standards. At present, all 23 bathing beaches are safe for swimming after tests were conducted.

"In addition to the beach, all swimming pools along the beach promenade have been maintained, including the Children's Amusement Centre swimming pool, South Beach paddling pool and Laguna swimming pool," according to the statement.

However, Govender said independent tests done by the Durban University of Technology’s Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology showed that only a few beaches, including Umhlanga Lighthouse, North Beach, Golden Mile and uShaka, had safe E. coli levels.

"Municipal tests taken on 12 and 26 November also showed very high contamination across many beaches. Despite this, on 2 December, the city announced that all twenty-three beaches were safe. The municipality has not explained how beaches rated as “poor” in November could suddenly be declared safe, especially when it only tests the water every two weeks.

"The DA believes the municipality is misleading the public by ignoring evidence and hiding the real situation. While independent scientists published their results openly, the city avoided sharing its own worrying findings. With more than a million visitors expected during the festive season, it appears the municipality placed tourism image above public safety, which is irresponsible and dangerous," said Govender

She said the DA noted with disbelief that members of the ANC, the Mayor, and the City Manager attempted to lower contamination benchmarks, effectively rewriting safety standards to leading the public into a false sense of security.

"Instead of tackling the sewage crisis that has plagued Durban’s beaches for years, they refuse to test frequently and still want to only test once a week, meaning beachgoers will never know the real-time threat lurking in the water.

"The DA in eThekwini calls for urgent independent testing of all beaches, full public access to all municipal water quality data and clear, honest communication about the state of the coastline. Residents and visitors deserve safe beaches and truthful information, not cover-ups and shifting standards designed to protect political interests. The municipality must take responsibility and act quickly to resolve this ongoing crisis," said Govender.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE