The KwaDukuza Municipality in consultation with the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (Sharks Board) has decided to close off the Zinkwazi and Blythedale beaches for the day owing to the dirty water.

The municipality said high debris contents were flowing into these beaches from the Mvoti and Thukela rivers which could compromise the installed shark safety gear at these locations.

“The Sharks Board could not service the aforementioned gear due to the lagoon at Zinkwazi Beach running quite strong this morning hindering their efforts to launch their service boat, however, the team is looking at launching the service boat at Salt Rock Beach tomorrow [Thursday] so that it can attend to servicing the shark safety gear at Zinkwazi and Blyethedale Beaches,” said the municipality in a statement this morning.

The municipality apologised for this inconvenience but said it is a necessary safety measure that has to be taken.