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Daily Maverick
31-07-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Second sewage spill forces closure of Gqeberha's popular Kings Beach — repairs may take weeks
A sewage spill has again shut down one of Nelson Mandela Bay's premier beaches — this time due to a collapsed pipe in the harbour. While the municipality scrambles to contain the damage, concerns mount about the city's ageing infrastructure. Just weeks after a sewage spill forced the closure of Nelson Mandela Bay's flagship Kings Beach, another leak has again shut down the popular beachfront. This time, a crumbling pipeline running through the adjacent harbour caused foul-smelling sewage to flow on to the Kings Beach parking area and down the walkway providing pedestrian and vehicle access to the beach. While municipal teams are tending to the immediate problem and working to clean up the spill, repair work on the collapsed pipe causing the problem will begin only later this month. The municipality released a statement on Wednesday, saying that the beach would be closed temporarily after the spill was reported, also warning residents not to swim or fish in the area. 'Following recent heavy rainfall over the weekend, a new spill occurred at the Kings Beach parking area. This was despite ongoing flow control measures via by-pass pumping in the harbour. 'The spill has since ceased. The affected area is currently undergoing cleaning and treatment (dosing) to reduce E. coli levels and eliminate unpleasant odours. 'Urgent work will be done on rectification. A newly appointed contractor has confirmed that the necessary pipes are readily available, and work is expected to be completed within 2-3 weeks, provided no additional collapses occur during excavation,' the statement read. The municipality says it is monitoring the situation closely and continuing with water quality testing to assess when it will be safe to reopen the beach. Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan confirmed that the spill was unrelated to a blocked drain near the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport that caused a large-scale sewage spill early in June. 'It seems a main sewage line, running through an access-controlled area within the harbour, has collapsed. This was likely caused by prolonged exposure to heavy vehicle traffic in the area,' Tappan said. He had been in contact with teams on the ground and confirmed that a specific 600mm pipe and specialised equipment had to be ordered. Repairs could take place only from around 16 August when the material arrived. 'For the time being, a pump has been put in place to divert sewage from that section of pipe to a nearby manhole.' Tappan said under normal conditions, the temporary fix should be able to cope with demands placed on the sewage system. However, when heavy rain caused stormwater to flow through the sewage system, it sometimes led to overflows. He said suggestions had been made to the municipality on ways to redirect sewage spills along Kings Beach to areas where it would not affect public health and safety, but it was unclear what the city's official stance was on the matter. 'Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the situation and keep the public informed. This is a major environmental health risk, and we advise the public to steer clear until the issue is resolved,' Tappan said. The city's woes along the coast continue as the popular Brighton Beach remains closed due to concerns over water contamination and the vandalism of public facilities. Similarly, beachfront facilities at St George's Strand, near Motherwell, have been closed for an extended period due to vandalism and unsafe conditions. The DA's Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections, Retief Odendaal, said the metro desperately needed to invest in a sewer services master plan. He said the metro's wastewater treatment plants and its pumps were ageing and had not been upgraded in years, but despite this, there was 'virtually no plan'. In addition, Odendaal said it appeared that there was zero accountability in the metro. He said that last month, when he had highlighted that Brighton Beach remained closed after six months because 'substandard effluent (read sewage) was continuously pumped into the ocean', the municipality's response to media requests was that Brighton Beach would be opened within days. 'A month later, Brighton Beach is still closed, and this is now the second time that Kings Beach had to be closed due to sewer spills in the last month. I fear that the current administration is going to destroy what is left of our tourism industry if they continue like this. This should be a big deal to everyone because it has the ability to impact negatively on our economy,' he said. DM
The Herald
31-07-2025
- The Herald
Ongoing sewage spills flagged as threat to Bay tourism
Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan said a section of the 600mm underground burst pipe has been identified in the harbour. 'This is why the sewage spill occurred in the parking lot of Kings Beach. 'If there's a power failure in the Roedolf pump station, it goes off because there is a backup generator but no automatic system to switch it back on when the power comes back on.' The sewage spill in the Cape Recife nature reserve, which flows to the beach, also covers a section of the road in the conservancy where tourists and locals walk, run and hike. However, this experience has been lessened by the stench from the sewage, which also affects businesses in the area. Pine Lodge operations manager Warren Wakeford said at times it was significantly worse. 'When the wind blows in a certain direction, the whole lodge would smell. 'It can be quite brutal, and guests would call asking about what's going on. 'Others think it's an in-house problem and we always have to clarify,' Wakeford said. 'From a tourist point of view, it's difficult to quantify what we could be potentially losing and how many people don't visit because of this issue, but I'm pretty sure there's an impact. Ziggy's Rock & Reggae Bar manager Jaco Rossouw said the smell resulted in bad reviews online. 'They are talking about how bad their experience was with us because of the smell. 'The landlord has spoken to the councillor before, and he's helped over the years, but it always seems to be a temporary repair because it's been more than two years of the same thing, from what I can remember. 'Locals who walk and hike in this area always complain about the stench and having to jump over the pool of smelly water, which isn't always safe. 'This is a huge tourism issue, coupled with the fact that there's no street light from the beacon up to here. 'This is where all the holidaymakers stay, and the sewage spills are not a great image of our city. And with the summer season coming, the smell will get worse.' For the Love of Nature, an organisation that has planned a fun run to raise funds for the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) in Cape Recife on Sunday, also raised concerns about the issue. For the Love of Nature founder Mario Sophocleous said it was a family event that would be affected. 'We expect people with babies in prams and possibly people in wheelchairs who won't be able to pass the sewage puddle, because it's quite big. 'Driving through is one thing, but people usually come here to walk. 'If I were a father to a baby in a pram, I would not participate.' Sanccob centre manager Carl Havemann said t he sewage smell affected the public's enjoyment when visiting the centre. 'Especially when the winds come from the treatment plant side and impact any beach events we organise. 'All our penguins are released back onto Bird Island, so they are not affected by the spill.' Effluent, believed to be from a nearby settling pond, flows towards the beach, with a wide stretch along the sewage stream overgrown by reeds and invasive vegetation. It comes from the wastewater treatment plant located in the Cape Recife Conservancy. In mid-December, Brighton Beach had to be closed after test results revealed alarmingly high contamination levels due to discharges from the plant. In June, municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said the time frame for reopening was the end of the month. He failed to respond to questions on Thursday. The Herald
Daily Maverick
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Maverick
Sewage spill in Gqeberha forces beach closure ahead of Boks-Italy clash
A major sewage spill has forced the closure of Kings Beach in Gqeberha just days before the Springboks' Test match against Italy, with municipal teams scrambling to trace the source and contain the damage. Just as Gqeberha prepares to host the Springboks and a wave of rugby fans, one of its landmark beaches has been shut down due to a major sewage spill. Kings Beach – in the heart of the city's beachfront tourism hub – is closed, and municipal teams have been out in force since last week to determine the source of a sewage leak that has contaminated a freshwater stream running through the dunes. Officials have also reported more spills at the railway lines between Humerail and the harbour, as well as higher up along Allister Miller Drive, next to the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport. Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan said the initial leak near the airport was first detected early last week when he, with Ward 1 councillor Dries van der Westhuizen, visited Kings Beach. This led to the municipality closing the beach at the weekend after contractors began their investigation into the origin of the spill. 'The municipal teams are actively tracing the source by inspecting all manhole blockages in the area. This will assist them in determining the best route forward to contain and resolve the issue,' Tappan said on Monday. Battling terrain to trace leaks Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya confirmed that teams had been on the ground with specialised equipment to trace leaks and clean affected areas since last week. 'This task was made difficult by the presence of swampy terrain, overgrown vegetation and dense trees,' Soyaya said. 'Despite these challenges, progress is being made, and specialised equipment is being deployed to the sites [Monday] and [Tuesday] to speed up the work.' He said contractors began clearing some of the dense vegetation to gain access to manhole covers. This will give them access to drains for more thorough inspections and create the possibility of 'bypass pumping operations' that would allow them to avoid the sections of pipe causing the problem. Honey sucker trucks have been deployed to pump out contaminated water at some of the bigger spills, giving teams easier access to manholes and drains. 'Our teams continue to treat the affected areas to reduce E. coli levels and neutralise unpleasant odours,' Soyaya said. This is the latest in a series of pollution woes that have plagued the Nelson Mandela Bay coastline in recent months. Summerstrand residents often report foul odour coming from stormwater drains along the beachfront due to undetermined contamination, while further down the coast, Brighton Beach has been closed for several months due to leaks emitting from the nearby Fishwater Flats wastewater treatment works. However, Soyaya said the current situation at Kings Beach differs from Brighton Beach, as the cause of the pollution at the latter has already been determined. 'Our first priority now, with regard to Kings Beach, is to find the source of the leak before [we] can fix the problem.' Environmental and health risks mounting Chairperson of the Algoa Bay branch of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), Dr Gary Koekemoer, said the spill would have a limited impact inland and along its route to the sea. 'However, where it reaches the ocean is of major concern. 'From where it originates and along its way to the beach, that area is actually quite dead in terms of the natural ecosystem and indigenous plant life. But ocean life and seaside activities are in danger if this toxic waste keeps seeping into the water.' Koekemoer said there had been reports since last week of open water swimmers, who frequent Kings Beach and surrounds, falling ill. He said this could have an economic impact if it began to affect sporting and tourism activities. 'Bottom line, a sewage spill is never a good thing and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible,' Koekemoer said. Unfortunate timing Soyaya said while the municipality was always committed to resolving such issues as a matter of urgency, the timing of the spill was not ideal with the international rugby Test match between the Springboks and Italy scheduled for this weekend at the NMB Stadium. Tappan said the spill should have a limited impact on tourism, and none of the players was expected to specifically visit Kings Beach this week.' However, the Springbok team was at the Virgin Active gym near the beachfront [on Monday], and the smell from the spill across the road was unfortunate. 'It would be best for everyone if these leaks could be resolved as soon as possible,' Tappan said. DM
