The eThekwini Municipality has refuted allegations that it is pumping sewerage into uShaka Beach and has clarified that it is currently busy with a sand-pumping operation on the beachfront close to the harbour mouth.

The city has revealed that this is done on an annual basis to ensure that beaches are in pristine condition.

The rebuttal by the municipality comes after social media reports of sewerage being pumped onto the beach.

eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, has labelled the posts malicious, false and ignorant.

“The sand-pumping scheme creates a recreational beach and pumps approximately 280, 000 cubic metres of sand onto the beaches every year. This also acts as a buffer between the beach and the infrastructure. The harbour breakwaters prevent the natural migration of sand from south to north on our beachfront necessitating the sand pumping operation. If the city did not pump sand, our beaches would erode with the action of the waves,” said Khuzwayo.

She added that continuous beach monitoring programmes are in place to provide sediment data on the beaches which guide the sand pumping scheme.

“The darker colour of the sand is because of naturally occurring minerals such as quartz, feldspar, titanium and ilmenite which is black. This should not be confused with oil or a sewage spill. The public are cautioned to avoid the area where the sand is being pumped especially towards the water’s edge as the sand is soft and liquified and could act as quicksand,” she concluded.

The foamy substance in the water is a natural occurrence due to turbulence in the water and is not harmful.

The public is encouraged to read more about this on the SAAMBR website.