Continued closure of Durban beaches another shock to tourism

There has been a continued closure of beaches and recreational activities in KwaZulu-Natal due to the contamination after the United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) warehouse in Cornubia burned down in July. As a result, tourism along the North Coast of eThekwini has been left struggling.

The gorgeous beach below the Umhlanga Lighthouse. Photo by Teagan Cunniffe.

‘Jobs are at stake here, a whole industry is at stake – the hospitality industry, right up to Ballito – this doesn’t just affect uMhlanga,’ said DA eThekwini councillor Rory Macpherson.

Hotels, restaurants and smaller enterprises within the tourism industry provide direct employment for scores of people and provide revenue opportunities for various informal traders who rely solely on the influx of persons to the beaches.

Last Friday, Futcher & Poppesqou Attorneys, who represent the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, emailed the chairperson of the Joint Operations Committee (JOC), the minister and director-general of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the mayor and city manager of the eThekwini Municipality, on the closure of beaches due to the UPL warehouse fire.

‘The continued viability and existence of these enterprises is of vital importance to the province, for the revenue they generate within the local economy in uMhlanga, within eThekwini, the local economy in the North Coast region in the Ilembe District Municipality, and within the province,’ read the email.

The attorneys were instructed to demand responses to these issues by the close of business day on Wednesday, 1 September.

Business consultant Herbert Acchammer revealed that the uMhlanga Community Tourism Organisation’s membership has a total of 5 107 beds and approximately 195 restaurants that would suffer a loss in revenue of about R1.7 billion if beaches remain closed.

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