Recent heavy rainfall in Durban has led to significant pollution in the Beach Area of Wilson’s Wharf harbour, prompting local businesses and environmental activists to call for urgent action to address the ongoing crisis. Recent heavy rains over Durban have left the bay at Wilson’s Wharf strewn with litter and debris, prompting urgent calls to action from the local business community and environmental activists. The once picturesque harbour has become an unsightly scene and, according to some stakeholders, a no-go zone.
The degradation over the years continues to raise concerns about marine pollution and the safety of aquatic life. Local businesses, including MH Performance Sailing NPC, have reported a significant drop in customer numbers due to the deteriorating conditions. Nicolene Henkeman, co-founder of the sailing organisation, shared her concerns during an interview with theDaily News.
She highlighted not only the visible pollution but also the brownish hue of the water. “We have actually lost business because of this. We had a customer who recently cancelled their membership due to the water conditions,” she said.
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Henkeman added that the situation had become dire and was compounded by years of leaking sewage into the bay in close proximity to their operations. She said that although theeThekwini Municipalityhad made attempts to address water quality issues in the area, but recurring floods had exacerbated the pollution problem. “Every time it rains, we encounter the same problem; the water is still in a terrible state,” she said.
Community leader Michael Apelgreen also raised concerns and pledged to escalate the matter with the municipality and port authorities. “There is a team that normally responds to clean-ups after heavy rains, but we need a more robust, long-term anti-litter campaign and an adequately maintained sewage system to ensure the water quality improves,” he said.
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