Nelson Mandela Bay beaches still in less than pristine condition, despite R10m upgrade

Despite the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s R10-million beachfront upgrade, beachgoers may still encounter closed toilets, damaged walkways and vandalised facilities as the festive season kicks into high gear.

The city says improvements are under way to deliver clean, safe and fully serviced beaches, but councillors warn that ageing infrastructure and persistent sewage problems could disrupt summer plans.

Read more: Recurring sewage spills, collapsing pipelines and beach closures threaten Kings Beach tourism

The municipality’s assurances this week followed its September announcement that more than R10-million had been allocated to upgrade beaches, and a pledge to rehabilitate ablution facilities, improve water and sanitation infrastructure, and provide safer public amenities at key attractions from Kings Beach to Bluewater Bay.

At the time, the municipality said, “Work is well under way to maintain and enhance the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s beaches, ensuring they remain the summer destination of choice”, with the beaches and resorts sub-directorate “working around the clock” on key upgrades.

According to the city, the planned work included a R2-million refurbishment of ablution blocks and lifeguard rooms at Happy Valley, R1-million for upgraded changing rooms and lifeguard facilities at Kings Beach, and more than R3-million to repair coastal sanitation infrastructure at Pollock, Bluewater Bay and Hobie beaches to address recurring sewage issues.

The lion’s share of the budget was allocated to Brighton Beach, where the metro is conducting structural assessments and upgrading ablution blocks, lookout towers and showers, replacing worn piping and installing new toilet pans. The project totals R5-million, with R2-million earmarked for the current financial year.

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said “visible work” was under way at key sites, including ablution repairs at Kings and Hobie beaches, plumbing and urinal upgrades at Hobie Beach, improved disabled parking and cleaning at Happy Valley, and waste management at Pollock Beach.

All upgrades are due to be complete by 5 December

Lifeguards were on duty, police remained on high alert, and routine maintenance continued along the beachfront, said Soyaya.

Meanwhile, at Brighton Beach, procurement processes are progressing, with a structural assessment report expected by 5 December and R2.9-million allocated for the current financial year.

“Where certain projects extend beyond the festive season due to procurement timelines and specialist technical work, the municipality is prioritising essential services, safety, cleanliness, access and ablution functionality, to meet festive peak demand,” said Soyaya.

Still more to be done

Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan, whose ward includes much of the Summerstrand and Humewood beachfronts, said some maintenance work had begun — including clearing sand from walkways and repairing ablution facilities — but key sites remained non-operational as peak season begins.

“The ablution facility near Something Good, toilet is open, and the Kings Beach toilet is open,” said Tappan. “But the toilet at the pier is technically closed at the moment. So in other words, visitors have to go over into the Boardwalk, which they don’t enjoy.”

Other facilities are in worse shape. “If you look higher up at 10th Avenue, that toilet has been vandalised and is still locked up. And if you look at the Beacon, that toilet is closed and non-operational. So really, at this stage, you have two toilets out of four that are working,” he said.

Tappan also warned that a collapsed beach walkway near Second Avenue posed a safety risk. The municipality, he said, had tried to repair it by pouring soil and rubble into it to close the hole. But within weeks, the hole was back.

“We’ve been trying for about a year and a half, two years, to try and get an engineering costing on that walkway repair before some people and cars and chairs go missing.”

Further up the coast, vandalism continues to erode what remains of the city’s beachfront assets. A plastic walkway opposite 10th Avenue “was set on fire, and it’s melted and is all skew,” said Tappan. Railings had been ripped off, and “even some of the screws have been taken out because the vagrants that live in the area systematically break the stuff down after hours”.

Blue flag status, but concerns over sewage spills

In October, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa announced that Hobie Beach, Humewood Beach and Kings Beach were among just 50 beaches nationally to receive full Blue Flag status — an international accreditation recognising high standards of water quality, environmental management, safety and public amenities.

Despite the metro trumpeting its Blue Flag status, sewage spills are an ongoing problem.

“All these small leaks have been reported numerous times … and we have still yet to see action from the municipality to start closing these leaks,” said Tappan.

The Eastern Cape chairperson of the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA, Gary Koekemoer, said the organisation was “greatly concerned” about sewage contamination along beaches nationwide, including the metro’s coastline.

“We are very concerned that quality isn’t up to standard,” he said. “The municipality is managing infrastructure that was built in the ’70s. That infrastructure is now declining.”

Blue Flag monitoring shows the metro regularly tests water at the beaches, but its ageing sewer network is vulnerable.

“All of Summerstrand and Humewood’s waste flows down one pipeline. If that pipeline breaks, then it spills onto our beaches, and that’s a serious health hazard,” said Koekemoer.

Soyaya said sewerage-related matters were being monitored, with medium and long-term engineering interventions in place to prevent spillage.

Brighton Beach stripped bare

As Summerstrand battles crumbling infrastructure, Brighton Beach in Ward 16 is in ruins, a hotspot for vandalism and unsavoury characters.

Buildings have been gutted, with toilets, windows, showers, ceilings and couches removed. Floodlights have been ripped out for copper, and the once-busy picnic area is knee-high in grass.

Ward 16 councillor Kuselwa Ngxenge did not respond to a request for comment about the condition of her ward’s beaches.

Visitors expected despite budget constraints

The metro had initially framed the multimillion-rand beachfront upgrades as central to protecting its tourism economy.

“While other cities may rely on minerals as economic drivers, ours is our beautiful coastline,” said Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe in September. “We must be intentional in investing in it to drive economic development through tourism.”

Tappan said security measures had improved, lifeguards were ready, and the police were enforcing alcohol restrictions. “Overall, I would say that we’re probably around a seven out of 10 in terms of readiness,” he said.

However, he warned that chronic underfunding of beachfront wards undermined the city’s efforts.

“You would think then that the city would allocate sufficient budget to Ward 2 and Ward 1, so that we can ensure that this asset of the city is kept in pristine condition,” said Tappan. “It’s terrible if somebody comes from overseas and they have to look at ... rusted fencing or walkways that are broken, or they need to go to the toilet and it’s locked.”

Despite the challenges, he insisted the beachfront was a drawcard. “As a councillor, I’m confident that people visiting our city will have an enjoyable time … and I will keep pushing the items that still need to be repaired.” DM