Durban - Visitors might have complained about unhygienic behaviour during the festive holidays at Blue Lagoon Beach, but this did not deter a group of families from enjoying their outing under the cloudy skies.
Some holidaymakers fished from the uMngeni River mouth which flows into Blue Lagoon, while others indulged in soccer games.
There have been frequent complaints of reckless driving by drunk drivers, who also publicly urinate under the trees while trashing the area with beer bottles.
But during the Sunday Tribune’s midday visit on Wednesday only the lagoon was surrounded by plastic.
A cruise boat rental worker, Sipho Mabuza, complained that when the lagoon was dirty, it was bad for business.
“Visitors don’t want filth, they want clean water to dip their hands and feet in while cruising along. They stay away from booking the boat cruise because the water is dirty,” Mabuza said.
He said he had been booked only twice before noon.
But the grass lawn on the bank of the lake was clean and municipal workers were picking up papers and empty beer bottles.
Private security guards and police frequently patrolled the area in cars and on foot. During the busy festive season, extra toilets were added to the cubicles on the beach.