News24 | Sewage on Sea: eThekwini’s festive water woes as beaches close

• Four of eThekwini’s main beaches were closed due to high levels of E. coli, which experts attribute to failing wastewater treatment plants and pollution from illegal dumping, posing a serious health risk to holidaymakers.
• Activists criticised the municipality’s delayed response to the ongoing contamination problems, warning that sewage pollution affects not only beaches but also rivers, canals, and the air.
• Despite concerns, tourism officials remain optimistic, with most beaches open and alternative attractions available, while a court ordered the municipality to implement urgent repairs to its sewer infrastructure.

While thousands of tourists continue to flock to eThekwini for the holidays, four of its main beaches have been closed due to the detection of pollution in the water.

Blue Lagoon, eThekwini Beach, Country Club Beach, and Battery Beach were closed on Wednesday due to the serious health risks they pose.

The primary culprit is E. coli, which has been detected in significant quantities during water testing at these sites.

However, water experts stated that this had been present in the water for the past few weeks and that the eThekwini Municipality should have been aware that the beaches posed a hazard.

Speaking to News24 on Friday, environmental and human rights activist Desmond D’Sa from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) said the municipality should have closed the beaches weeks ago.

READ | eThekwini urged to act as Durban beaches face 4th festive season without Blue Flag status

He added that due to rip currents, pollution would be found on other beaches and posed a significant risk to people who swam there.

The SDCEA monitors estuaries and beaches along the coast from Mozambique to Port St Johns.

It has been using water testing kits from WaterCan, a water watchdog NPO, to monitor the levels of E. coli at various points along the coastline.

D’Sa said the SDCEA had increased its testing in the last couple of weeks in expectation of the throngs of tourists descending on KwaZulu-Natal’s beaches.

“They should have closed those beaches weeks ago,” he added, saying that E. coli emanated from broken eThekwini wastewater treatment plants.

Besides the beaches, D’Sa said the canals and estuaries were also showing high levels of pollution.

“It doesn’t look like the [the City] has plans to fix the infrastructure [wastewater treatment plants] in 2025. The rip currents mean this can affect other beaches, canals and estuaries where people swim, play and fish.”

He added that although the danger was in the water, the sewage in it could evaporate and be inhaled.

Besides the four beaches, D’Sa also cautioned about high levels of E. coli found in Umhlanga’s beaches and those to the south of the city.

He specifically mentioned Isipingo Beach, 19km south of Durban, Cuttings Beach at the Bluff, and the Durban harbour.

D’Sa added that the estuaries and rivers were also victims of illegal chemical dumping, which had polluted many of the streams.

He accused the metro of not being honest about the problem.

D’Sa said:

“Even when we bring issues to them about air pollution, when we meet, we are just told, ‘We are looking into it’.”

His message to holidaymakers was to ensure the water was safe before entering it, saying E. coli could cause diarrhoea.

“This is a consistent issue [with eThekwini], it was the same last year,” D’Sa added.

WaterCan’s executive manager, Ferrial Adam, said that according to UN research, 800 000 people died every year from drinking water contaminated with E. coli, “so let’s not add to the statistic in Durban”.

“The municipality has been dishonest about the beaches… It is very dangerous, and they are playing with people’s lives. [eThekwini] needs to have ongoing [water] monitoring,” Adam said.

WaterCAN has been working with Save Our Rivers and Sea from Sewage and Adopt-a-River to conduct a series of tests in La Lucia, Battery Beach and the Umgeni River since 21 November using the WaterCAN Citizen Science Test Kits.

READ | E. coli makes waves, spoiling holiday fun on KZN South Coast and Vaal River

In a statement released on Friday, WaterCan’s communication manager, Jonathan Erasmus, said that according to their measurements, “all three sites tested were found to be unsafe. In almost all instances, E. coli was a major factor”.

He added that the pattern of closures was driven by factors beyond anyone’s immediate control, such as seasonal winds and ocean currents, which influenced where polluted water ended up along the coastline, rather than more E. coli in Durban’s rivers.

Erasmus said:

“There is clearly no concern for the health and safety of recreational water users.”

Erasmus stated that he was aware of various families who had been affected by E. coli-related illnesses.

He added that the City’s own River Quality Reports compiled from monthly river-quality tests indicated exceptionally high E. coli levels across the system since 2020.

According to WaterCan, these reports have been available to see on the municipality’s website for the past five years.

“It is unclear why they are no longer accessible. At present, the only river-quality report available is for September 2025,” it stated.

In a statement on Thursday, the metro said it was “committed to protecting public health, preserving the environment, and upholding various legislations” of the country and the Constitution.

News24 approached the municipality for comment on the allegations that it had been dishonest and had been warned about E. coli levels weeks before the four beaches were closed.

eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana stated that the municipality conducted weekly testing of beach water quality to ensure public safety.

She added:

“A full list of open beaches is available on the City’s website and on notice boards at beach sites.”

Sisilana said maintenance issues identified were addressed promptly to ensure compliance with environmental standards, adding that “once pollution sources are contained, seawater quality is expected to return to normal”.

She added the beaches would reopen as soon as water samples indicated safe levels of E. coli.

Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa chairperson Brett Tungay stated that beach closures would not impact tourism in the area.

He said that four beach closures were “not a disaster” when eThekwini had 23 main swimming beaches.

“Most of the beaches are open,” added Tungay, saying that recent heavy rains had washed some pollution down the river, “but that’s beyond the municipality’s control”.

He said that bathers could take advantage of the hotels and resorts that had their own pools and other entertainment when beaches were closed.

“It’s a big draw card [for the hotels and resorts], so it’s not the end of the world.”

Tungay added that the municipality accomplished a great deal in addressing pollution over the last two years.

“But even if you go back 30 years, rivers have come down with pollution – it’s beyond [broken] infrastructure, but it is also weather-related.”

He said that when the two beaches, Bronze Beach and Umhlanga Main Beach, in Umhlanga were closed, it had no effect on the economy, and he reported speaking with leaders in the tourism industry in Umhlanga who told him it did not affect their bottom line.

The two popular Umhlanga beaches were closed on 10 December but reopened two days later. They were contaminated when the wastewater treatment plant was blocked.

Court action

On Thursday, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg directed the municipality to implement an urgent action plan to repair its sewer infrastructure.

This after the DA and ActionSA took the municipality to court separately for failing to address sewage pollution. Thursday’s order came from the DA’s case, while ActionSA’s case is still being heard.

On 23 September, eThekwini’s report on the progress on wastewater and sanitation infrastructure reported that 74.4% wastewater treatment works [WWTW] were working.

“However, the volume of effluent received at WWTWs remains below the 100% target, averaging just 62% in August,” it stated.

The municipality responded to the judgment in a statement on Thursday, saying that it was already compliant with some of the implementations ordered by the court, which included:

Despite budget constraints, the City said in a statement on Thursday that it had “reprioritised resources to safeguard public health”.

These included refurbishments at wastewater treatment works and emergency repairs on wastewater pump stations experiencing breakdowns and overflowing.

“Major projects currently under way include sea outfall inspections and critical pipeline repairs, supported by a comprehensive water use licence application process for seven of the 10 treatment works, ensuring alignment with the National Water Act,” the City stated.