Crumbling Sewage Infrastructure Leads to Closure of Several Beaches

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) places the blame for the second closure of Kings Beach within a month squarely on the shoulders of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM) due to its failure to maintain sewage infrastructure and replace ageing systems.

Kings Beach was closed for the second time on 30 July after a sewage pipe in the harbour burst, causing sewage to flow into the sea and pedestrian walkways.

While heavy rainfall over the weekend of 26-27 July may have contributed to the sewage spill, the likelihood of such an incident would have been significantly reduced if the Metro had acted on the Freedom Front Plus’s calls for timely upgrades and routine infrastructure maintenance.

This is also not the only beach in the NMBM which is closed owing to sewage spills. Brighton Beach has been closed since December 2024 due to high E. coli levels originating from the Fishwater Flats sewage treatment plant.

Cape Recife has also been closed for months due to similar sewage leaks. These constant closures are a direct result of the Metro’s negligence.

The NMBM’s latest sewerage master plan was compiled in 2009. It identified the need for 286 km of pipelines and two new sewage treatment plants, yet little progress has been made, and the plan has not been updated since.

These sewage spills jeopardise public health, destroy marine ecosystems, and have a detrimental impact on the Metro’s tourism industry and local economy.

The Freedom Front Plus demands immediate action to upgrade existing infrastructure and the implementation of a long-term strategy to prevent similar crises.

The Metro cannot continue applying temporary fixes to a broken system. Infrastructure is not a luxury, but a necessity; and it is time the Metro starts treating it as such.

Freedom Front Plus Future Vision: The FF Plus envisions a South Africa where all communities can thrive and coexist peacefully.

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