The eThekwini municipality on Tuesday dismissed an “alarmist” WhatsApp voice note claiming there have been drownings at beaches south of the city.
The city said the voice note, which is doing the rounds, called on the public to avoid beaches in Isipingo because of alleged drownings.
This comes after three people drowned and several were injured when they were caught in a rip current at North Beach in Durban on Saturday.
“The municipality can confirm that there was a drowning incident at North Beach on December 17 where three people died. The incident was due to a rip current, which is a fairly common phenomenon at sea,” it said.
But there was no drowning reported at Isipingo beach because swimming was prohibited due to poor water quality, it added.
“The public is warned to be wary of such false, anonymous and alarmist social media posts and fake news which are disseminated with intentions to cause panic.
“Swimming at beaches can be a safe activity if the public follows safety guidelines such as swimming within designated areas, not swimming under the influence of alcohol and complying with instructions of lifeguards.
“The municipality reiterates its condolences to families who lost loved ones in the North Beach incident. It also commends the bravery of lifeguards, paramedics and other emergency response personnel who attended to this unfortunate incident.”
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