Durban eyes 1.3 million festive season visitors, says seawater being rigorously monitored

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The eThekwini Municipality said this week that the city is expecting about 1.3 million visitors over the upcoming summer holiday period, and quelled fears about water quality at several of its popular beaches.

The municipality’s tourism agency, Durban Tourism, launched a national roadshow to showcase Durban’s beaches and cultural and holiday attractions.

The campaign kicked off in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces with “vibrant activations” at Middleburg, Nelspruit’s Riverside Mall, and Polokwane’s Mall of the North.

But the drive comes amid ongoing concerns about the municipality’s long-standing sewage-management crisis, which has seen recurring sewage spills, elevated E. coli levels and intermittent beach closures along the coastline.

Earlier this week, the city issued a statement about a website that falsely claimed the majority of Durban beaches had been “red-flagged” because of dangerous levels of E. coli and high incidents of crime.

The municipality said the allegations were “false,