With the July school holidays in full swing, two of uMhlanga’s swimming beaches (Bronze Beach and Main Beach) in KZN have been given the green light to reopen.

Eight beaches, including uMhlanga, were closed after water-quality tests revealed high E. coli levels.

This was due to a pump failure at the Portland Drive sewage pump station, which has subsequently been fixed.

eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo confirms that the decision to reopen the beaches was taken following recent water-quality tests conducted by water experts that confirmed improved water quality.

“This means that the beach water at these two beaches is at an acceptable level for public use and is safe for recreational activities. The two northern beaches were closed last week following a pump failure at the Portland pump station. The pump has since been repaired, and the pump station is now operational.

“The city continues to caution residents and businesses against the insertion of alien objects into our sewage system, which we have found to be one of the reasons for pump malfunctions. Technicians often find things like building rubble, cloth, disposable nappies, and even towels in the sewer system, which causes pumps to malfunction,” she says.

Beaches that are currently open for swimming are:

Bronze, uMhlanga Main, Point, uShaka, Addington, South Beach, Wedge Beach, North Beach, Bay of Plenty, Battery, Thekwini, Country Club, Laguna, Brighton Beach, Toti Main, Pipeline, and Umgababa.

Beaches that are currently closed are:

Westbrook, uMdloti Main, Reunion, Warner, Ansteys, and Winklespruit beaches will remain closed until their water quality has sufficiently improved.

The eThekwini Municipality also has a list of beaches and public swimming pools that are open, which is updated on a weekly basis on its website, www.durban.gov.za.