High surf sweeps away part of eMdloti beach wall

THE weekend’s heavy rains have taken its toll on one of north Durban’s beaches. A section of North Beach Road in eMdloti collapsed due to pounding waves. According to ward councillor Geoff Pullan,the loffelstein retaining blocks used to build the wall along eMdloti Beach, aren’t effective for keeping the sea at bay on sloping beaches like eMdloti.

“The water crashes over the blocks and washes the sand away. However this sort of damage to property because of severe weather and the surf, does unfortunately happen,” explained Pullan, adding that Casarina, La Mercy and Westbrook beaches appeared fine.

“The affected area has been cordoned by officials so I advise that people who do travel down to the beach to take care,” he warned, also saying that the damage had already been reported.
Numerous beaches had to be closed because of the high seas, with shark nets having been removed said the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board. On Friday, the eThekwini Municipality closed several Durban beaches, including, eMdloti Beach.

In uMhlanga, UIP precinct manager Dewet Geldenhuys said the area’s promenade had come out unscathed. “Bar some sand that’s been deposited in Lagoon Drive as well as one blocked drain, the promenade is structurally sound,” he said, adding that they would begin pumping the water from the blocked drain today and the sand would be cleared by Pearls Mall contractors when the showers had stopped.

The large south westerly system that hit parts of the country this weekend, caused high sea swells along the east coast and brought snowfall to the Drakensberg mountains. The South Africa Weather Service recorded 116 millimetres (mm) of rain for Virginia on Sunday, with 83mm and 94mm respectively falling on Mount Edgecombe and King Shaka International Airport. The severe weather warning for the KwaZulu-Natal coastline remains in place.

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