Durban — The closure of Durban beaches due to excessively high E.coli levels has led to the cancellation of the World Oceans Day swim scheduled for this weekend.
In a statement, event organisers said that due to circumstances beyond the event’s control, the Ardagh Glass Packaging (formerly Consol Glass) World Oceans Day swim scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled.
“Given the current state of the beaches and the closure of various beaches along Durban’s Golden Mile, the event had no choice but to cancel the 2022 edition,” the statement read.
It also said that the beaches had been officially closed by the city again after excessively high E.coli levels. Various organisations are working hard at trying to get answers and ensure that beaches become safe again for the public.
Event organiser Sarah Ferguson said: “We are more committed than ever to continue to fight for the protection of our oceans.”
“We apologise to all those that have entered and prepared for the event. However, it is out of our control.
“With that said, we want to make sure that there is accountability for the issues plaguing our oceans at the moment, and we look forward to hosting you at our event in 2023,” Ferguson said.
The swim was scheduled for September after beaches in Durban reopened as E.coli levels dropped to manageable levels after the floods damaged infrastructure in and around the city.
Reacting to an Instagram post by Breathe Ocean Conservation, Oceans 8 Charity Swim said: “This event is highlighting exactly why we need to make more of an effort with how we treat our rivers and oceans, so for you to lose out in the fundraising that this event would bring is so devastating.”
Last Friday, the eThekwini Municipality announced that it closed beaches due to poor water quality.
Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the municipality’s latest round of testing resulted in the closure of some beaches with immediate effect due to poor water quality.
The following beaches are closed: Brighton, Ansteys, Point, Ushaka, Addington, South, Wedge, North, Bay of Plenty, Battery, Country Club Thekwini, Laguna, Baggies and Reunion beaches. All water activities at these beaches are banned for health reasons.
uMhlanga main, Umdloti, Westbrooke, and Bronze beaches in the northern region remain closed.
Beaches that remain open include Toti, Pipeline, Warner, Winklespruit and Umgababa beaches.
“The municipality continues to test water quality at beaches on a regular basis and takes decisions based on those results,” Mayisela said.
On September 10, the municipality announced the reopening of 13 beaches: Bay Beach, North Beach, Wedge Beach, South Beach, Addington Beach, uShaka Beach, Point Beach (Vetchies), Brighton Beach, Amanzimtoti Main Beach, Pipeline Beach, Warner Beach, Winklespruit Beach, and Umgababa Beach.
Testing confirmed that the water quality at these beaches was at an acceptable standard.
Daily News