eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has allayed fears of tourists turning their backs on the city, as the metro continues to battle with cleanliness which has often forced the closure of beaches.

Kaunda lead a joint press briefing together with the Durban Chamber of Business at the city hall on Thursday.

The reassurance comes as the city has battled closures after high eColi levels were found in the water.

“Our tests have confirmed that in our central beaches, water quality is at an acceptable level. It's  for this reason that we recently announced their reopening,” said Kaunda.

He attributed the contamination to the wastewater treatment works in Johanna and Ohlange sewage pump stations which contaminate seawater.  The northern wastewater treatment works was also adding to the contamination.

He said the city had been emboldened by a cash injection of more than R184m courtesy of the National Treasury. He said despite the funds, it was not enough with the estimated costs of repairs estimated to be R160m for the pump stations and R300m for the water treatment works.

“It is our fervent hope that all these all important repairs will ensure that our beaches are not contaminated so that they remain open throughout the festive season,” said Kaunda.

Among the beaches which remain open are Bay of Plenty, Ushaka, North,  Wedge in the south, Umgababa, Umkhomazi, Brighton and Treasure beaches.  “We are appealing to all visitors to continue to make Durban their home during the summer holidays,” said Kaunda.

However, a drive around the Durban’s inner city reveals a stark contrast to Kaunda’s assertions. 

A large part of the city is dotted by ageing infrastructure, sewerage spewing on pavements and mounds of litter lying strewn on the roads and in passage ways.

Kaunda sad they had taken heed to the pleas from business and residents alike, which has prompted the targeted approach to rid the city of grime and filth. 

“In each city we have deployed dedicated  teams that are going to pick up litter and sweep the streets in shifts,” said Kaunda.  Thus would be streamlined by area managers who would be doing inspections during shifts in the allotted areas.

The municipality had also fingered businesses, in particular those in manufacturing for contributing to the scourge of decay. “We call on all those businesses to refrain from disposing of their waste in areas which are not designated for it,”  he said.

This often blights the face of the city, blocks the storm water systems, and  poses a threat to marine life.  Kaunda’s call comes after the city launched the spring clean up campaign in September, which also brought together other stakeholders and communities in a bold move to forge a clean and healthy environment.

He called on residents to play their part by taking out their refuse on their scheduled dates. The recent staging of the Hollywood Bets Durban July and the Comrades marathon were indicators that the city was ready to welcome visitors.

Tsogo Sun manager Samantha Croft remained hopeful that tourists would flock to the city.  She said while they had seen a decline in bookings, the advent of Covid-19 had changed the behaviour of tourist who now tended to be circumspect when making their decisions.

“It’s a little bit too early to tell. But what we do anticipate is an increase in bookings in the middle of October and going into November,” said Croft.

Croft said as the sole metropolitan city in the province, eThekwini was burdened with a high influx of people migrating into the city for economic opportunities.

“It's important that all the neighbouring districts are developed.”

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