THERE have been a couple of reports from holidaymakers who claim they became very ill after swimming in the Uvongo lagoon over the festive season
One of the visitors even said he suspected that there is a possibility of E.coli contamination in the lagoon.
“Last week, a group of our friends and family spent a day in Uvongo and enjoyed time on the beach and swam in the lagoon,” he said.
“Approximately 24 hours later the first indication of illness appeared in some members of our party.The symptoms later manifested in the rest of us,” he explained.
He said the symptoms started with a severe headache and fever, and a feeling of weakness followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, which continued for a few days.
“Some of our family members present on the day of our visit, who were also affected, are medical specialist doctors and they are convinced that the illness was caused by some contamination in the lagoon. We have been visiting Uvongo for many years and have been swimming in the lagoon without any problems but this year it seems that something has changed,” he said.
Public health specialist Dr Shuaib Manjra, who was also part of the group which visited the Uvongo lagoon, said he is convinced something was wrong with the water in which they swam.
“Even though we visit Uvongo beach often, this year there was this stench and we noticed that no sea water was flowing into the lagoon. The water flowing down the waterfall was unusually warm which aids bacteria formation,” he said.
“I must also state that it was not food poisoning, since we all brought our own food and everyone became ill. The only common denominator was swimming in the lagoon,” he added.
Another group of visitors from Johannesburg has vowed that they, too, will never visit the South Coast again, because of the experience at the lagoon.
The group of about 17 visitors also became ill after swimming in the lagoon. “I just want other people to be more careful when swimming there, especially children,” said one of the visitors.
He explained that when they went back home and consulted the doctor, they were informed that a couple of people who had visited the South Coast had similar symptoms of fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Ugu spokesman Sipho Khuzwayo said the municipality had an impressive 2014 festive season with a well planned execution of its core service delivery functions.
“From the start of this season to its end, the municipality has not been alerted by Umgeni Water Scientific Services of any contamination of water in the district’s lagoons,” said Mr Khuzwayo.
He explained that in an effort to curb incidences of water contamination and to ensure that they are reported and dealt with urgently should they occur, the municipality, during the festive season, contracts the ISO17025:2005-accredited Umgeni Water Scientific Services to conduct SANS241 tests on the municipality’s Waste Water Treatment Works and the rivers to which the plants dispatch.
“The Uvongo lagoon, in particular, is tested on a weekly basis by Umgeni and the reporting and analysis of these results are submitted every month end. However, if there are determinants that are out of range, Umgeni instantly sends results so the municipality can implement corrective action,” he explained.
“During December 2014, Umgeni did not alert Ugu of any out-of-range results in the Uvongo lagoon, hence there has never been any failure,” he concluded.
