Beaches safe for visitors

City relies on tourism during festive season, over R2bn projected to flow in.

- Jarryd Westerdale

The sandy strips of Durban are ready to welcome holidaymakers this festive season, as eThekwini municipality declares most of its beaches safe and open for swimming.

The city relies on tourism during the festive season, with more than a million visitors expected over the next few weeks.

The visitors are projected to contribute over R2 billion to the KwaZulu-Natal economy.

Blue flag status is the highest international standard that a beach can aspire to, but eThekwini has not applied for the accreditation for several years.

The floods of 2020 and 2021 damaged the drainage systems across the city, allowing sewage to mix with storm water before it empties into the ocean.

Morgan Griffiths from Wildlife and Environment Society South Africa (Wessa) said that made the city unable to meet the stringent water quality requirements.

"The city is working hard to restore the infrastructure and it is publishing the results of water testing, which is a great move towards transparency," said Griffiths.