POLL | Has Durban’s beach crisis changed your holiday plans?

With the festive season approaching, many South Africans are planning a holiday at the coast.

However, trips may have to be reorganised after several popular beaches in KwaZulu-Natal were found to contain faecal matter and other toxins.

The Sunday Times tested water at several popular beaches and noted alarmingly high levels of E. coli, which experts warn could make beachgoers sick. 

Umhlanga is among the most popular holiday destinations during the December break, but its beach remains closed and streams of human sewage were recently seen on its promenade.

Some hotels and accommodation providers said bookings for December had been slow and cited concerns around water quality at beaches.

While some may see the “toxic” beaches as worth avoiding, others said it would not deter them from enjoying their holiday.

Umhlanga is projected to lose R25m a day if its beaches do not open during the peak summer season.

Umhlanga Tourism Association chair Duncan Heafield told the Sunday Times some beaches in northern Durban had been closed for more than 200 days this year.

“With the state of our beaches, Umhlanga has become an undesirable destination. Holidaymakers come here because of this attraction. We can’t keep people on a knife-edge, opening and closing beaches erratically.”

The eThekwini municipality said it was hard at work with repairs to damaged infrastructure and reassured visitors all beaches would open by December 1.

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.