Durban beach water remains a point of sanitation. Four of the city’s beaches remained closed for the almost the whole of the month. According to eThekwini Municipality, since 26th of June, four of the local beaches have been closed for swimming due to poor water quality. Anstey’s Beach, Reunion, Doonside Beach and Bronze Beach have been closed till further notice.
“This status of beaches and pools will be updated as and when their status changes. You can still enjoy other recreational activities at closed beaches. You just can’t swim.” the municipality said. Despite the closures, the following 19 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming between the hours of 06:00 and 18:30:
- POINT BEACH
- UMHLANGA MAIN
- UMGABABA
- TOTI MAIN BEACH
- PIPELINE BEACH
- USHAKA
- ADDINGTON
- COUNTRY CLUB
- THEKWINI BEACH
- NORTH BEACH
- BAY OF PLENTY
- LAGUNA BEACH
- SOUTH BEACH
- WEDGE BEACH
- MDLOTI MAIN
- BATTERY BEACH
- WINKLESPRUIT
- BRIGHTON
- WESTBROOK
The pollution of beaches in and around Durban remains a point of concern. Educational campaigns on the harm of not disposing of trash properly should be launched across the immediate East Coast. Fines should be given to those who break the by-laws, including being prohibited from disposing of your rubbish in the sea.
It is good that many beaches still remain open for swimming. The presence of the e coli water bacteria remains a point of concern. Swimmers, bathers and surfers will have to remain patient to hear the Municipality’s verdict before going into the water at the beaches concerned. Meanwhile uShaka Marine World theme park is facing rising costs for upkeep and cashflows to stay open.
Opened in 2004 along Durban’s beachfront, uShaka was created to be a major tourism hub for the city and the KwaZulu-Natal province. It features an aquarium, water park, restaurants, and various marine-related activities. This effort to boost local interest comes as the park faces serious financial challenges. The eThekwini Municipality recently approved a R14 million cash injection to help uShaka stay afloat during the quieter months. IOL previously reported that, according to the municipality, the cashflow challenges are attributed to the current business model as well as institutional arrangements. These issues become much more pronounced during the low trading periods of the park, wherein the monthly cash generated is less than the cash required to meet the mandatory expenditure for the corresponding period.
“I think the first one is that the cost of operating a facility like this is quite huge to the extent that if you were to try and pass on all those costs to the visitors, it would then render the place to be extremely expensive for people to come.
Ushaka is a major attraction for tourists and a major centre for tourism in its own right. The water theme park and affiliated facilities was hit hard by the Covid 19 Epidemic. uShaka has been recovering slowly. The Park was built to attract visitors not from just across the country but the world. The water theme park rides and Aquarium are among the finest in the world. The water them park complex provides thousands of residents with jobs and it is not with in the municipality or the city’s interests for the park to close. When income cannot meet expenditure, this can hit the upkeep of the park hard. Very hard. The municipality and the park management need to revamp the park and rethink its institutional arrangements.
uShaka is a major centre of education through its aquarium as well as a centre for entertainment at the same time. Managing such a large theme park has both its negatives and positives. Hopefully through subsidizing the theme park’s facilities the municipality can assist the management and employees through these tough times. Job creation and employment is no easy task.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
