The eThekwini Municipality has said all 23 Durban beaches are safe for swimming. eThekwini Municipality has assured residents and visitors that all 23 bathing beaches in Durban are safe for swimming after water quality tests, marking the first full reopening since the 2022 floods. Mayor Cyril Xaba announced the development during a media briefing on Thursday, saying safe Durban beaches reflects extensive work to restore coastal infrastructure.
“For the first time since the devastating floods of 2022, all 23 of our bathing beaches are open and safe for swimming.” He described the achievement as significant ahead of the holiday season and linked it to the city’s broader recovery efforts. “The reopening of every single bathing beach speaks to the tremendous effort that has gone into repairing and upgrading our sanitation infrastructure,” he said. The mayor stated that the municipality intends to maintain consistent oversight on water quality throughout the festive period.
“We want to assure you that we will not take our foot off the pedal. Our teams will continue to closely monitor our infrastructure to ensure that we sustain this positive performance well beyond the festive period,” he said. However, the Democratic Alliance in eThekwini issued a statement questioning the basis of the municipality’s assurance regarding the Durban beaches.
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DA EXCO Member Cllr Yogis Govender said the party is “deeply concerned that the municipality is not being honest with residents and visitors about the state of Durban beaches.” Govender said a recent Executive Committee report “failed to mention the high levels of dangerous bacteria found in the water” despite media reports that “almost fifteen beaches are polluted.” She stated that independent testing conducted by the Durban University of Technology’s Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology found that “only a few beaches, including Umhlanga Lighthouse, North Beach, Golden Mile and uShaka, had safe E. coli levels.”
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