eThekwini beaches are open, but from one mayor to another ...

Tourism authorities in KwaZulu-Natal are anticipating a significant boost in visitors after all 23 Durban beaches were declared open and safe for swimming.

eThekwini Municipality announced on Tuesday the latest water quality tests cleared the coastline, marking a major milestone in efforts to restore the coastal line and beaches damaged during the April 2022 floods.

The city has not had its full complement of beaches open in any summer season since the 2022 floods, which affected water infrastructure and left many beaches closed due to E.coli levels above the safe limit of 500 counts/100ml.

Closures during the peak festive seasons have disrupted the tourism industry, which was just recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic when the floods hit.

“We remain committed to ensuring safe, welcoming and world-class beach experiences for all residents and visitors during the festive season and beyond,” said municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana.

Tourism stakeholders say the reopening is already boosting confidence.

Duncan Heafield, chairperson of the Umhlanga Tourism Association, told Sunday Times the reopening has already shifted the mood in the area.

“Whenever the coastline is fully operational, we see an immediate increase in day visitors and early holidaymakers,” he said.

“Accommodation partners are reporting stronger enquiries, and several have already indicated that December occupancy is pacing ahead of the same time last year. While it’s still slightly early to quantify the hard numbers, the sentiment is markedly more positive than last year.”

Heafield added that visitor numbers are generally in line with expectations and, in some cases, slightly above.

“Foot traffic on the promenade and in the village has been very healthy already. The weather, clean beaches and improved municipal attention have all played a role.”

Heafield said an estimated R5m of revenue was lost each day in Umhlanga because of beach closures in 2023.

Dr Vusumuzi Sibiya, CEO of South Coast Tourism & Investment Enterprise, said tourism is central in the region’s economy and anything that strengthens the sector is welcome.

Durban’s beachfront is the province’s anchor attraction. When it functions well, it lifts the performance of the entire province. When it struggles, the ripple effects are felt from the North Coast to the Midlands.

—  Duncan Heafield, Umhlanga Tourism Association chair

“Our goals this season are to sustain the region’s reputation as a top coastal holiday destination, maximise visitor numbers and length of stay, ensure exceptional visitor experiences, and encourage inclusive economic growth that benefits all,” he said.

“We’re working to maintain high occupancy rates similar to those achieved in 2022, when Ugu District led the province with a 97% occupancy rate in the final week of the year.”

To achieve that, Sibiya outlined the preparations and improvements ahead of the summer season.

“The South Coast is improving its beaches to make them cleaner, safer and ready for holiday visitors. Work includes fixing walkways, upgrading public toilets, repairing pools and cleaning beachfront areas.

“Many beaches also kept their Blue Flag status, showing good water quality and strong safety standards. Community groups are helping keep beaches clean. Overall the coast is better prepared to give visitors a safe and enjoyable experience this season,” he said.

KZN has 10 Blue Flag beaches.

Barto van der Merwe, MD of Renishaw Coastal Precinct, said broader KZN Mid-South Coast is also gearing up for a strong season largely thanks to efforts of public-private partnerships in driving sustainability.

“The region boasts the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the province, world-class dive sites like Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks, and abundant natural attractions,” he said.

“Organisations such as Keep Scottburgh Beautiful, Tidy Towns and the Pennington Conservancy work closely with municipalities to maintain public spaces and restore ecosystems. We support these initiatives with litter collections, verge clearing and financial contributions.”

Heafield also highlighted the broader impact of well-managed beaches on provincial tourism.

“Durban’s beachfront is the province’s anchor attraction. When it functions well, it lifts the performance of the entire province. When it struggles, the ripple effects are felt from the North Coast to the Midlands.”

He said previous beach re-openings have contributed to a 20–30% increase in visitors.

But uMngeni mayor Chris Pappas disagrees and voiced his concern in an open letter to his eThekwini counterpart Cyril Xaba last week about the state of the Durban promenade.

In the letter, titled “From one mayor to another”, Pappas said he had recently walked along the promenade and felt sad to see how it had changed from the vibrant, clean and well-maintained space it had once been.

“Today, small signs of neglect are slowly stealing the magic that once made the promenade special.”

He raised concern about seemingly unmaintained lights and municipal vehicles, sand piling up along pathways, empty or underused shops as well as people sleeping in bushes and others drunk or high in public spaces.

He indicated that his letter was not meant as an attack but as a plea for action.

“None of this is said lightly. I understand the complexity of running a city, the competing priorities, the limited budgets, the political pressures and the weight of the expectations on your shoulders. Being a mayor is an honour, but it is also a relentless responsibility,” he said.

“I write to you as a colleague who knows how difficult it can be, but also as someone who believes deeply in the power of municipal leadership to restore dignity to public spaces.”

He stressed that the promenade is not beyond repair and can still be restored if the city gives it focus, leadership and basic maintenance.

“Its decline is not irreversible. In fact, it is precisely because the problems are still mostly small, mostly manageable, mostly within reach, that this letter is written with hope … Durban deserves a promenade that is clean, safe, vibrant and worthy of its coastline.”

The municipality didn’t respond to queries about the issues raised by Pappas in his letter.

Heafield conceded there is still some way to go in giving the same attention to public spaces along the beach front in the city, but the full reopening of the beaches is a positive sign of progress.

He said they still get “isolated complaints” from time to time, including litter during peak afternoons, but maintained that the overall sentiment is that Umhlanga promenade remains one of the best-kept public beachfront spaces in the province.

“People have noted that it is cleaner, more patrolled and feels better maintained than in previous festive seasons,” he said.

Common visitor concerns, including water quality confidence after past closures, safety during peak hours, parking availability and clarity on lifeguard hours and bathing flags, are being addressed daily.

Heafield emphasised collaboration with the municipality, the mayor’s office, Durban Tourism, metro police and the urban improvement precinct to ensure a seamless visitor experience.

He called for consistent water quality reporting, stable infrastructure maintenance and a strengthened Metro Police presence during peak periods to maintain a world-class holiday season.

Sibiya noted that the tourism industry still needs strong support from local and provincial governments to regain functionality.

“We require strengthened support from local and provincial government to ensure a seamless visitor experience this season. This will include improved service delivery, reliable water supply and infrastructure maintenance.”

Ahead of the festive season, Heafield said measures to enhance safety and maintenance include increased beach patrols with private security and law enforcement, daily litter collection, repairs to damaged lighting and walkways, additional lifeguard deployment and close coordination with municipal teams for rapid response to defects.

“Our aim was to enter December with no backlog of maintenance — and so far, it’s holding.”