eThekwini municipality will conduct daily water quality tests of its beaches to ascertain whether they are safe for swimming.
Despite the eThekwini municipality announcing on Thursday that several beaches were open for business, independent water quality tests commissioned by the Sunday Times show that three Durban beaches — all declared open by the city — are unsafe.
Umhlanga’s main beach count was astronomically high at 3,076cfu/100ml. This is where deputy city manager Musa Gumede took a swim a few days ago as part of a media stunt to prove its readiness for the festive season.
North Beach in Durban, where mayor Mxolisi Kaunda took a dip on Thursday, was safe at 199cfu/100ml.
Now the municipality says it will conduct daily water quality tests at Durban’s beaches to ascertain readiness for safe swimming.
“The city has taken a decision to take samples daily and conduct tests. These will assist us to ascertain which beaches are safe”
Three weeks ago the Sunday Times commissioned an independent company to test water samples at popular beaches, which showed some of the open beaches were brimming with faecal matter and other toxins.
Accredited testing company Talbot conducted another round of tests for the Sunday Times on Thursday, with samples taken at Main beach in Umhlanga, Country Club, Battery and North beaches in Durban and Anstey’s Beach south of the city.
The tests were done on the day the city said the beaches were open and safe for swimming.
Three of the five beaches, including Umhlanga, Country Club and Battery, showed critical levels of colony forming units (cfu), the microbial cells (bacteria, fungi or viruses) in a sample.
Any count above 500cfu/100ml is considered critical.
Country Club Beach on the Golden Mile in Durban stood at 816cfu/100ml, and Battery Beach, also on the Golden Mile, at 512cfu/100ml.
Anstey’s Beach was just below the critical mark, at 457cfu/100ml.
In response to the latest round of tests results presented by the Sunday Times to the municipality, spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said: “When it comes to E. coli levels findings they vary from day to day, therefore the results we have communicated are a true reflection as per the last sample taken. The results you have, it could happen that they were taken on a different day, hence the difference in readings.”
He said an emergency prevented Kaunda from swimming at Umhlanga beach last week.
The city has taken a decision to take samples daily and conduct tests. These will assist us to ascertain which beaches are safe.
— Msawakhe Mayisela, municipal spokesperson
“The mayor was not available in the morning and delegated that task to our deputy city manager. When the mayor was then available, in terms of our programme the activation was at central beaches, hence the mayor took a swim there.”
He said the city was on a drive to openly communicate with its citizens.
“It is imperative for our public to know and understand the predicament we are faced with and how we can protect them, hence the communication drive to inform them as to which beaches are safe and which to avoid.”
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
