The finish judge watches competitors heading out through the course during the Junior Women’s Double Surfski event at the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships held in Gqeberha on 31 March 2026. (Photo: Halden Krog)The 2026 Lifesaving World Championships will take place in Nelson Mandela Bay, whether the city is ready or not. There are no alternatives or back-ups.
This was the message from Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) as the organisation committed to working with Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to get its ducks in a row, with only 10 weeks to go.
This comes as ward councillors in the areas where the bulk of activities for the 18-day competition will take place have voiced their growing concerns over the city’s readiness to host such a major international sporting event.
R350m tourism injection
Upwards of 2,500 international competitors, along with their support teams and families, are expected to arrive in Gqeberha from mid-November, injecting an estimated R350-million into the local hospitality and tourism industries.
However, with the event drawing closer, the Newton Park municipal swimming pool, where still water events are supposed to take place, has not started the upgrades and maintenance required ahead of the competition, while security remains a concern around ocean events meant to take place at Kings Beach.
/file/attachments/orphans/Riaan-LifesavingChamps2_659308.jpeg "The Newton Park municipal swimming pool is earmarked as the venue for pool-based events at the 2026 Lifesaving World Championship, scheduled for the end of November. However, several concerns have been raised about the facility's readiness to host the international competition, which could bring a massive economic and tourism boost for Nelson Mandela Bay. (Photo: swimhistory.co.za)")
“Obviously we are aware of some infrastructure challenges in Nelson Mandela Bay, particularly around the facilities needed for the World Championship, but we do not have an alternative. We are committed to Gqeberha,” LSA board member Dhaya Sewduth said.
Committee addressing ‘outstanding issues’
“We have a local organising committee in the city who is working closely with the relevant city officials to try and address some outstanding issues.
“We know some things need to be finalised at the beach, but at this stage our biggest concerns are around the Newton Park pool and the work that still needs to be done there.
“But we believe there is still enough time, and we are confident that we can get everything addressed before the event.”
Newton Park pool problems
In recent years, Newton Park swimming pool has been a popular venue for water sport events, and has hosted the SA National Aquatic Championships on multiple occasions, including the 2025 edition.
However, the pool has been closed for several months for planned upgrades and maintenance in anticipation of the upcoming lifesaving event. Upgrades included a new internationally recognised scoreboard and touch pads, while maintenance extended to the pool tiles and a fresh coat of paint on the building.
/file/attachments/orphans/unnamed1_538231.jpeg "Newton Park Swimming Pool. (Photo: Newton Park Swimming Pool)")
“As far as we know, none of these things have happened,” Ward 7 councillor Brendon Pegram said earlier this week.
Pegram, who has been writing to the city manager’s office since July, wanted to conduct an oversight visit at the pool on Wednesday to see if any progress has been made, but he was denied access by management at the pool.
He was told the facility was locked, however standing at the turnstile that controlled access to the premises, the doors were open and staff were coming and going from the main pool building. There was no sign of contractors on sight to perform the maintenance.
“I was told that the pool was closed in April for tiles to be redone. It was reopened briefly in June for a swimming gala, but has been closed since. At this stage the pool will have to be drained to complete the necessary maintenance, but it seems like officials at the pool will only know the extent of the required maintenance once the pool is empty.”
At this stage no tenders have been advertised for the tiling or painting.
Concerning ‘last-minute’ snags
Pegram said officials at the pool complex said a scoreboard can be sourced in South Africa (SA) for R400,000, but their biggest concern was the supply and installation of the touch pads that needed to be ordered from America.
Pegram said it was frustrating to see these issues being left to the last minute, after ILS announced that the event would be coming to Nelson Mandela Bay in November last year.
“A budget of R7-million was approved for hosting the Lifesaving Championship. From my understanding, R4-million was available and the difference needed to be sourced from other directorates or projects.
“But with the funds available, why is the work not being done? This is an event that could generate more than R350-million for our city, but there seems to be no urgency.
“On top of the income, this event is a golden opportunity to market the city for other events. If this event is a flop, we are going to lose so much more than just lifesaving,” Pegram said.
Besides the concerns specific to the pool, he also mentioned infrastructure issues such as street lights, roads and stormwater drains, as well as security measures around the city, as other potential snags that could impact Nelson Mandela Bay’s attractiveness for future events.
Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan echoed these points. While he acknowledged initial progress at Kings Beach for the upcoming event, he warned that infrastructure work remains incomplete ahead of the competition.
“Some work has been done around the ponds at Kings Beach, the lighting along the walkways and the roofing of the ablution facilities, but it seems like there is a big focus on beautification. My concerns are whether or not the ablutions can suddenly handle 3,000 more people at the beach, and whether lighting and security in the parking area is adequate to keep visitors and their property safe.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20210808_182139.jpg "Riaan-Kings-Sewerage")
City ‘dragging its feet’
Tappan said he has facilitated meetings between event organisers and city officials from the sports and tourism directorates, but much like Pegram, he is frustrated by the municipality “dragging its feet” in providing tangible solutions.
“The city officials are quick to welcome events and claim how great we are at hosting them, but then they lag on the finer details that need to be addressed.
“The issues we are facing are not new, and they are not just important for this event. These are complaints that have been coming for some time and should have been addressed ages ago.”
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya did not respond to questions about Nelson Mandela Bay’s preparedness to host the event, running from 25 November to 13 December.
Financial incentive
Sewduth said he had confidence in the municipality’s capability to pull everything together in time, adding that the 2026 South African Lifesaving Championships in Gqeberha was a big success.
He said the national event drew a big crowd and brought more than R55-million to the city, so the financial incentive to make the global event a success is much bigger.
Besides the issues specific to the beach and pool, Sewduth said lifesaving generally got the short end of the stick when it came to support from local and national government.
“When it comes to funding and getting things in place, other mainstream sporting codes like rugby and cricket, don’t seem to face the same challenges.
/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-12_791994.jpg "Riziki Magotsi (L) and Nina Watts (R) from Clifton Surf Lifesaviing Club challenge each other for the flag in the U17 Womens Flag event during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships held in Qgeberha on 30 March 2026. (Photo: Halden Krog)")
This sport ‘literally saves lives’
“People seem to forget how much lifesaving actually means for the community. It may not be a mainstream sport, but all of these athletes do humanitarian work, as they have to work as lifesavers to qualify for events. They literally save lives.
“On top of that, it plays a big role in youth development, disaster management, job creation and tourism. You would expect the sport of lifesaving to see just a little bit of special treatment, but that it not the case in any of the cities where these events are held.”
Sewduth said while there are no assurances that a successful 2026 event will ensure that Nelson Mandela Bay hosts the event again, it would definitely not hurt its chances.
“Host cities are decided on a range of different factors, but a successful event will sure go a long way for Nelson Mandela Bay to come into consideration in future.” DM
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