DURBAN - DESPITE cloudy and cold conditions, beachgoers and surfers flocked to the Durban beaches in the early hours of the yesterday morning for the first time in 2021.
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the relaxation of several Covid-19 regulations in his televised address on Monday night, which also include the re-opening of the beaches.
During his address to the nation, Ramaphosa said that public places like beaches, dams, rivers, parks and public swimming pools would be reopened.
Beachgoer Nonhlanhla Motswale said after the announcement, she decided to go to the beach for a swim together with her six relatives.
Motswale said she was disappointed when the beaches were closed in December last year, as her visiting relatives from Mpumalanga were looking forward to going to the beach.
“They came all the way from Mpumalanga to visit me because they wanted to swim at the beach. After it was closed, they were sad and have been longing for this day ever since. It was very peaceful to be outside, as spending time with a lot of children in the indoor can be very frustrating sometimes,” she said.
Siyanda Khambule said that the announcement was a blessing in disguise, as he was leaving for Johannesburg.
“I only arrived in Durban on Saturday, and I knew that I was not going to go to the beach as they were closed. The announcement came at the right time, and I knew from than that, the first thing I will do in the morning, is to go swim,” said Khambule.
Last week, a group of frustrated surfers violated the lockdown regulations by surfing at the Durban beachfront. They were detained and were later released on a warning. A similar incident took place over the weekend in the Western Cape.
More than 100 surfers were seen surfing freely for the first time in over a month yesterday, and according to them, the announcement was long overdue.
Rayn Griffith said that it had been way too long. “To me, surfing is a sport that I play, and it keeps me healthy. I make my living through this because I also compete. The sad part is that I will now have to put more hours of work, as I am way behind my level after spending over a month of doing nothing, he said.
eThekwini municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said they welcome the relaxation of the ban as the beaches were also a tourist attraction.
“As much as the president has announced that beaches were opening, we must bear in mind that the province and the city were still hotspots in terms of covid-19 infections. We mustn’t be carried away and be overexcited. The city will be monitoring the whole situation,” said Mayisela.