Rustenburg – The DA has challenged eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to swim at the ‘safe’ uMhlanga main beach on Friday.
DA eThekwini caucus leader, Thabani Mthethwa, said he would be ready, together with other DA eThekwini councillors to take a dip, after Kaunda whom has announced the beach as safe for reopening, has done so.
"The mayor who had communicated that he would be at this beach today (Thursday), to take a swim in order to indicate to residents and tourists that it is safe for reopening, did not pitch.
“Instead, he claimed the currents were too strong for him and sent one of his employees to go and take a dip for the media," Mthethwa said.
"We are hopeful that he is reserving this visit to honour our invite tomorrow (today). While the DA is well aware of the implications on the tourism industry, especially during this period, we cannot allow for residents and tourists to put their lives and health at risk."
He said the oversight visits to beaches, rivers and sewage pump stations had indicated that their water wasn’t safe.
Kaunda was on Thursday photographed swimming at one of the Durban beaches on Thursday.
All plans are in place for the festive season. We are ready to host visitors. More beaches are open and we have a lot to offer to residents and visitors. Today, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda demonstrated his swimming skills to officially declare festive season open.Woz'eDurban. pic.twitter.com/xY0ckhm79r
— eThekwini Municipality (@eThekwiniM) December 1, 2022
IOL earlier reported that the eThekwini municipality had announced the re-opening of several beaches ahead of the festive season, but residents didn’t seem too keen to get into the water.
The city has been grappling with a sewer crisis, owing in part to the April and May floods and the allegedly poor maintenance of the municipality's infrastructure.
The Daily News reported on Wednesday, that Mthethwa had said Kaunda has refused to swim at a beach he said was safe for reopening.
Mthethwa said the DA had extended this invitation to the mayor following his announcement the uMhlanga main beach would be among beaches that would reopen for bathing and inviting tourists to the attraction yesterday (Thursday).
"Subsequent to the announcement and not convinced that water quality could improve literally overnight, the DA task team on the sewage crisis conducted oversight inspections to various pump stations and water treatment plants," told Daily News.
"Although there were noted improvements, it would appear that the city is far from eliminating all sewer outflows into rivers and ultimately the ocean hugging its eastern border by November 3," he said.
IOL