Body of missing nine-year-old boy who was missing at sea found by his mother

Photo: Corne van Zyl

Some KZN beaches reopened – here’s the updated list of OPEN beaches

Several beaches in KZN are closed for the long weekend due to abnormal levels of E-coli in the water. Here’s an UPDATED list of OPEN beaches.

Body of missing nine-year-old boy who was missing at sea found by his mother

Photo: Corne van Zyl

Some beaches were reopened in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday after abnormal E-coli levels were found earlier in the water.

SEVERAL BEACHES REMAIN CLOSED – PLEASE SEE LIST BELOW FOR OPEN BEACHES

eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the City had reopened some beaches.

“The levels of E-coli at Addington, South, and Ushaka beaches have improved tremendously. As a result, these beaches are now safe for bathing and all other sporting activities.”

Mayisela said North, Bay of Plenty, and Blue Lagoon beaches remain closed, and teams continue to work tirelessly to have these too reopened soon. 

“Beaches north of the Umngeni River that were affected by the UPL chemical spillage, are still closed.

ALSO READ: Several KZN beaches CLOSED for the long weekend – here is the list of OPEN beaches

“The city sincerely apologises for the inconvenience this is causing to the public.”

This comes after the City announced on Thursday evening that several beaches in KwaZulu-Natal would be closed for the long weekend.

Mayisela earlier said the City would like to inform the public that central beaches are closed for bathing and any other sporting activity, with immediate effect.

“This decision is in the interest of the safety of residents and tourists. This follows signs of beyond normal E-coli levels in the water. The city moved with speed to conduct tests after seeing murky waters in some beaches and results showed a positive presence of these bacteria.

ALSO READ: Shark alert issued for Port Alfred coastline – public urged not to swim

He said teams are currently hard at work on a malfunctioning sewer pump station that is constantly vandalised for scrap metals and work is at an advanced stage to remedy the situation.

Beaches that are safe for the public to use are:

  • Pipeline beach
  • South beach
  • Ushaka beach
  • Amanzimtoti main beach
  • Warner beach
  • Winkelspruit beach
  • Reunion beach
  • Umgababa beach

 All beaches north of the Umgeni River up to Salt Rock, remain closed. 

“The city is appealing to the public not to embark on any activity until the water quality has been determined as safe and an official communication from the city has been issued in this regard.”

Mayisela said beaches were closed in July as a precautionary measure following a chemical spill that contaminated the Ohlange River and Umhlanga Lagoon.

“The city is aware of the significance of this long weekend, but it has a responsibility of guarding against anything that poses a threat to the public and tourists.

“At this point in time, eThekwini is awaiting the final and signed off report from UPL’s specialists. This requirement came out of a workshop with UPL and their specialists on the 8th September 2021.”

He furthermore said the submissions received prior to this workshop were inadequate.

“They did not reference the spill or site in question and were riddled with errors about the concentrations of toxins. In some cases, the submissions were unsigned, and as a result, they were unacceptable and rejected on that basis.”

A consolidated report is expected early next week, after which an independent peer-review process will take place.

“The final report on beach opening will be made available to the public at the same time it is sent for peer review.

“The public are asked to be patient and comply with requests from authorities. Any inconvenience is regretted; however, the safety of the public is of utmost importance.”