The eThekwini Municipality has launched an investigation into the hundreds of balls found along uMhlanga’s shoreline on Tuesday.

Northglen News reports two of uMhlanga’s swimming beaches, Main and Bronze Beach, were closed as a precautionary measure.

The discovery and mystery surrounding what the balls actually are have yet to be confirmed but some residents have described a foul smell emanating from them.

“Ethekwini Water and Sanitation Unit as well as the scientists from the Scientific Services conducted an analysis from the samples of the balls. At this stage, we cannot confirm if the balls are human waste, until confirmation by the laboratory investigation,” says municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana in a statement.

“The City has always been transparent about issues relating to beach water quality, hence an investigation is currently underway to trace the source of the ‘balls’ and get to the bottom of the matter.”

In a post on his Facebook page, Ward 35 councillor Bradley Singh says: “Please note that these balls have been spotted at Umhlanga Beach this morning; the public is advised not to touch as it seems to be human faeces.”