Dirty, broken and locked beach toilets are tainting the North Coast’s reputation as a top tourist destination.

Despite assurances from KwaDukuza municipality that facilities are cleaned and monitored daily, recent visits by the Courier have revealed widespread neglect, with many public ablutions in a state of disrepair and in need of maintenance.

The Blythedale beach toilets were the cleanest of the beaches visited.

Zinkwazi Beach’s facilities had no toilet lids, with no toilet paper available.

At Westbrook – under eThekweni municipality – the situation was dire. Toilets were dark, smelly and damaged, with broken taps and handles, missing toilet seats and no lighting.

eThekwini municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the municipality made a list of all the faults and an outside contractor was asked to inspect or assess them. However, she could not specify when the work would be done.

Salt Rock’s main beach toilets were locked despite a busy beach day, forcing beachgoers to relieve themselves in nearby bushes. Similar closures were noted at Thompson’s Bay, which lifeguard superintendent Bongani Xulu attributed to bathing being suspended due to rough seas.

Willard Beach offered little improvement. The women’s toilets had just two rolls of toilet paper placed outside the cubicles.

The men’s toilets were in a far worse state, with widespread stains and no brushes for cleaning. A visitor reported having to flush before use and being unable to deal with the mess left behind.

At Clarke Bay, only one and a half rolls of toilet paper were found – outside the sink – with none in the cubicles. While relatively clean, stained seats raised hygiene concerns.

Tinley Manor main beach women’s toilets were clean but were missing cistern lids and toilet lids. The only men’s toilet cubicle had a stained toilet seat, but the urinal was relatively clean.

Tinley Manor beach toilets were clean but in need of maintenance.

Umdloti’s ablution facilities lacked basic supplies. Several broken seats were stacked near the basins and cistern lids were missing. Sisilana said that the facility had to be closed on the first weekend of opening due to poor quality components and workmanship and that the municipality had taken steps to repair them.

“The lack of soap and toilet paper will be addressed soon through standard operating procedure with daily checklists,” said Sisilana.

Ballito’s Ward 6 councillor, Ayabonga Zwane, visited a few beaches last Thursday and reported issues at Thompson’s Bay and Salmon Bay, with no staff stationed on-site to ensure cleanliness and maintenance.

He said the municipality needed to strengthen its monitoring systems, ensure supplies are restocked and that facilities are not only cleaned but properly maintained.

“Our beaches are an asset to the North Coast and every visitor should feel cared for when they use them,” he said.

In January, municipal spokesperson Sifiso Zulu said beach toilets are cleaned daily, with separate teams for male and female blocks and regular inspections. He did not respond to the most recent request for comment.

This article has been amended following publication. Previously, incorrect images were used to depict the public ablution facilities at Blythedale and Tinley Manor main beaches. The images referenced for Blythedale showed facilities that are out of service and located at the old caravan park. Similarly, the pictures used for Tinley Manor main beach showed abandoned facilities that are not open to the public and are barricaded with white tape. The featured image has also been updated, and the information in the article has been revised to reflect the latest findings. The North Coast Courier apologises for any confusion caused.

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