Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has disputed a widely-circulated social media post purporting to be from the provincial conservation authority, in which it confirms a red tide off the Durban coastline.

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Ezemvelo said it denies the trending social media post, and that the entity is still investigating and checking samples to confirm if it is indeed a red tide.

“We are doing this in collaboration with research institutes. It is so far extending from Westbrook to the mouth of the uThukela estuary. Once we have confirmation on the algal species, we will notify the relevant authorities [that] will be responsible for issuing notices to the public, if that is required,” read the statement.

“So far, we have not detected any issues on the beaches related to red tide. We are monitoring for that as well.”

Just last month, there was a red tide along the southern Cape’s Garden Route coastline, extending from the Storms River Mouth in the east to Mossel Bay further west, affecting Wilderness, Plettenberg Bay and other popular beach areas.