Sewage crisis closes Margate beach
The situation of the beach being closed for more than two months is a major concern.
Eight weeks and counting is how long Margate main beach has been closed to bathing. On the back of not winning the Kwela Dorp Van Die Jaar competition, the focus now is to sort out the problems that is plaguing the pretty seaside town.
Stephen Herbst of Tidy Towns Shelly Beach to Margate said winning the competition was not the ‘be-all and end-all’, and they will continue to strive to make Margate the best town.
“We were on a Tidy Town mission before the competition. We won already with all the positive advertising and publicity the town received from various media platforms. We have seen wonderful improvements (upgrades to buildings) in and around town thanks to the private-public partnerships that have been formed and I feel we did win, and are still the winners.”
Herbst said Tidy Towns has tried to resolve the problems surrounding the beach closure but it’s a pressing concern for the welfare of Margate.
“Margate beach has been closed for more than two months, and it has to be asked: What is keeping the beach closed? Is Ugu trying to sabotage Margate? I am deeply concerned.”
Ugu spokesperson France Zama said the municipality recommended the closure as a precautionary environmental health measure, while the necessary infrastructure to continue with the upgrades to the sewer works were being prioritised.
“As an interim measure, the municipality’s environmental services continue to provide sampling with the aim of considering recommending the re-opening of the beach,” he said.
Zama said that it must be noted that inspections conducted by Ugu’s water services team found a number of illegal connections in the Margate industrial area, and these contributed immensely to blockages of manholes and pipeline directly linked towards the beach.
“The municipality is working around the clock to ensure this matter is prioritised,” he said. Cllr Alan Bosch of Ward 2 said with E.coli counts measured in excess of 100 000 parts per 100ml, the Margate main beach has been closed for some eight weeks.
(Note: below 500 parts per 100ml is acceptable for beaches and lagoons. Higher readings require beaches to be closed for bathing),
Sewage is being detected in the Nkongeni River, as well as from Hunters stream. Both affect Margate beach directly.
“Despite the unparalleled efforts from residents, and community groups such as Tidy Towns to make Margate a successful tourist destination once more, we now face a severe health problem due to Ugu’s inability to manage the sewage system properly. The entire July holiday season was ruined by beach bathing closure,” he said.
He asked, how can the South Coast business community continue to drive tourism, from which the entire area benefits, with this lacklustre performance from Ugu?
“With the pressure continually on the water crisis, and it is a crisis, not enough resources are being deployed to handle the ever-increasing sewage monster that is stalking us on the South Coast.”
Bosch stressed that the tourism industry needs to be saved to ensure economic stability for the entire Ugu district.
A visit to Margate beach revealed a closed beach this Wednesday.
Some red tape was seen near the pump station (Margate 3A) off Lagoon Drive which smelt of sewage and was guarded by a security guard.
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