City neglects beach showers
Surfers and bathers couldn't use the showers at the beachfront this festive season, as they were either turned off or broken.
VISITORS to Durban’s beachfront over the festive season had to contend with broken or switched off showers.
On a visit on Sunday morning, Berea Mail noticed bathers and surfers washing off at an open pipe at the base of the showers at North Beach, which was spewing water onto the sand.
According to surfer, Paul Godwin, it was a ‘bit annoying’ that the North Beach showers had been switched off. He said the Dairy Beach showers were defective and not all of them were working, and New Pier showers were still out of order due to the storm damage which happened months ago.
“If you go to new pier it looks like a war zone. The municipality removed the shower from in front of New Pier yesterday, thank goodness, as it was slipping into the ocean. Generally that beach needs a complete makeover. One would imagine as a Wonder City we should have all amenities ship shape and have crews on standby to fix problems like broken showers. I’m sure it would encourage more local tourists to visit Durbs in the future,” he said.
He said on the up side the council did have a handle on the littering this season and the beachfront was not as messy as in previous years.
Councillor Avrille Coen said she was unaware that the showers were turned off at North Beach.
“I think it is shocking, but at the same time due to the mobs, perhaps the municipality were trying to restrict water usage, as the crowds simply do not turn them off,” she said.
No comment was received by the municipality at time of going to print.
