News24 | Buffalo City’s ‘pristine’ Gonubie Beach reopens after sewage spill

Gonubie Beach in East London has reopened after it was closed due to a sewage spill.

• Gonubie Beach, the Buffalo City Metro’s Blue Flag pilot site, reopened on Tuesday after a sewage spill over the weekend.
• The municipality said its teams cleared a sewer blockage on Sunday and repaired a broken pipe by Monday.
• All 12 beaches in the metro were now open to the public with confirmed safe water quality, said the City.

Gonubie Beach, the Buffalo City Metro’s Blue Flag pilot site, has reopened to bathers following a sewage spill.

The closure of the beach on Sunday left many beachgoers frustrated with the municipality. Some accused the East London-based metro of neglecting basic maintenance of the beachfront infrastructure.

On 31 October 2025, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) announced that Gonubie and Kidds beaches in the metro were selected for the Blue Flag pilot programme until 31 October 2026.

According to Wessa, Blue Flag status was awarded annually to beaches, marinas, and sustainable tourism operators which complied with stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria.

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According to Buffalo City spokesperson Bongani Fuzile, Gonubie was East London’s “most pristine and popular” beach.

Fuzile said a sewage spill was reported at the beach on Saturday.

“Municipal teams responded promptly and conducted a full investigation, which revealed a sewer blockage. This blockage was effectively cleared on Sunday.

“Later that same day, a subsequent minor spill was reported, which was traced to a broken sewer pipe. This was immediately prioritised, and repairs were successfully completed on Monday.”

He added all repairs were “completed promptly, and subsequent water-quality sampling confirmed that there was no E. coli contamination present”.

“Following the completion of the necessary repairs and close monitoring to ensure optimal system functionality, Buffalo City authorised the official reopening of Gonubie Beach to bathers after confirming that conditions were safe and stable, with no further risk to public health or the marine environment,” said Fuzile in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

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A week ago, Nahoon Beach, which has a history of sewage contamination, was closed to bathers, leaving beachgoers disappointed.

Fuzile said all 12 municipal beaches were now open to the public.

“These precautionary measures, though inconvenient, are essential to prevent potential health risks and to safeguard the natural environment that our communities and visitors cherish.

“Buffalo City remains committed to maintaining clean, safe and well-managed beaches and will continue to act decisively whenever public health or environmental integrity is at risk,” he added.