The closure of Brighton Beach by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM) due to untreated sewage, containing dangerously high levels of E. coli, flowing into the sea from the Fish Water Flats Wastewater Treatment Plant has highlighted the dire state of the city’s ageing wastewater treatment infrastructure.
This crisis is not just about infrastructure—it’s about people’s lives. Residents of Nelson Mandela Bay are being exposed to dangerous levels of contamination in their water, which can lead to severe illness and long-term health consequences.
Families who depend on these beaches and rivers for recreation, fishing, or even basic water use are being placed at unnecessary risk. The human cost of this neglect is unacceptable, and every day that the municipality fails to act is another day that lives are jeopardised.
This situation also threatens Nelson Mandela Bay’s tourism sector, which is heavily reliant on clean beaches and safe recreational water activities. The negative impact on eThekwini’s tourism image due to similar E. coli challenges should serve as a stark warning.
Fish Water Flats, the largest Wastewater Treatment Plant in NMB, was built in 1976 and has faced repeated operational failures. These issues, compounded by vandalism and theft, have emphasised the urgent need to upgrade this critical facility.
However, NMBM’s wastewater crisis is not limited to Fish Water Flats. The Kelvin Jones Waste Water Treatment Plant in Kariega, which discharges effluent into the Swartkops River, has also been plagued by failures. Bacteriological sampling along the Swartkops River in 2022 revealed E. coli levels as high as 1.9 million coliforms per 100ml, far exceeding the permissible level of 130 coliforms per 100ml for safe recreational use.
Regular operational breakdowns have also been reported at the wastewater treatment plants in Despatch and KwaNobuhle, further exacerbating the city’s environmental and public health challenges.
The municipality’s ongoing non-compliance has had severe consequences. In 2022, NMBMM was fined R2.5 million for failing to meet environmental standards at Fish Water Flats. The Green Drop compliance report for 2021/2022 showed that the city’s wastewater treatment works achieved an overall rating of just 58%, far below the required 90% compliance. Only the Rocklands treatment plant came close, achieving 89.3% compliance in June 2022.
I have requested that the DA’s NMB Spokesperson for Infrastructure and Engineering, Cllr Dries van der Westhuizen, demand the Metro make monthly water quality test results for Brighton Beach and the Swartkops River public. Furthermore,
I will also formally request the National Department of Water and Sanitation to investigate the December closure of Brighton Beach. Residents have a right to know whether municipal negligence knowingly compromises their health.
This ongoing crisis cannot be allowed to persist. The DA will hold the municipality accountable and demand transparency and action.
The DA is in your corner, fighting for you. Together, we can get NMB working again.