The department’s spokesperson, Albi Modise, told Daily Maverick on Thursday that the department had dispatched a team to Mossel Bay.

“It was found that there were oil droplets that washed up in George, Knysna and Bitou beaches, and these are all currently being assessed. A team from the department is assisting with the training of clean-up teams. The source of the pollution is currently being assessed in order to put actions into place,” said Modise.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) said tar balls had reportedly washed ashore, affecting a significant stretch of the coastline from Mossel Bay to Wilderness since Monday. 

“The source of the oil is unknown. However, officials are investigating where the oil originated from. Whilst there are no reports of oiled wildlife, Sanccob’s response team is on standby and is participating as part of the incident management team in the event of oiled seabirds being impacted,” said Sanccob.

Below are the beaches that are opened, those that are still being worked on and those that have not been worked on.

At this time of year, African penguin fledglings leave their colonies in the Eastern Cape and swim near where the oil droplets washed up, and Sanccob is particularly concerned that these birds could be affected.

“In addition, a high abundance of other seabirds and other marine biodiversity are at risk,” said Sanccob.

The Garden Route District Municipality on Thursday said that more than 100 trained individuals were cleaning up hydrocarbon and low-sulphur fuel oil droplets at more than 20 beaches along the Garden Route. 

“Efforts have resulted in several beaches already moving to green status, which includes all the Blue Flag Beaches of Mossel Bay. While assessments found that several others in George, Hessequa, Knysna and Bitou were also affected by the spill, clean-up teams have already responded promptly to remove droplets,” said Gerhard Otto, the manager of disaster management at the Garden Route District Municipality.

Oil droplets found at a beach in Mossel Bay on Monday. (Photo: Supplied)

Residents of Mossel Bay reported oil droplets while at the beach on Monday. (Photo: Supplied)

Mossel Bay residents noticed oil on their feet and hands while at the beach on Monday. (Photo: Supplied)

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He assured holiday-makers and residents that the region was ready for its upcoming holiday season.

“The multi-agency response team indicated that most beaches will be cleaned by the end of this weekend, dependent on the 3.5m swells expected tonight,” said Otto. 

“There are cleaning stations at beaches and areas that need to be cleaned are clearly marked. It has not been reported that human health has been affected. No sightings of seabirds or marine life have been reported either,” he said.

Otto said beaches that received green status will be visited again after the predicted 3.5m swell to ensure that no new wash-up of droplets had occurred.

On Wednesday, the Garden Route District Municipality Joint Operations Centre hosted a meeting with a number of key stakeholders to discuss the current state of the small-scale oil/hydrocarbons spill. 

“Cleaning teams on the ground in Mossel Bay use a water filtration system to float off droplets of oil from exposed areas of sand collected from the affected beaches,” said the Joint Operations Centre. 

“This will be duplicated elsewhere. In addition to this, estuaries that are currently open, ie, Hartenbos, Kleinbrak, Knysna, as well as Keurbooms, are closely monitored for any droplets.”  

On Tuesday, Mossel Bay municipality issued a formal notification that blue flags would not be raised at any of the Blue Flag beaches in Mossel Bay until the beaches are safe for public use.

“This follows the municipality being notified on Monday afternoon, 28 November, of an oil or hydrocarbon substance sticking to beach-goers’ feet who were walking between Hartenbos and Bayview beaches,” said the municipality.

The municipality stated that on 29 November, additional reports of the hydrocarbon substance were received from Santos beach.  

MEC Anton Bredell’s spokesperson, Wouter Kriel, said they were concerned about the spills. 

“The ocean and our coastline should be protected from pollution. This is also happening just before the holiday season, so all stakeholders are working hard to do beach clean-ups at this stage.”

The South African Maritime Safety Authority had not, by the time of publication, responded to questions sent to it by Our Burning Planet. DM/OBP