Strand Beach is facing a growing sewage pollution crisis that is putting residents and tourists at risk. Despite repeated closures and warnings, the City of Cape Town stands accused by residents of deflecting blame rather than addressing the underlying issues.
Eddie Andrews, Acting Mayor, has admitted that the portions of Strand Beach is contaminated with sewage but has refused to accept responsibility for the health consequences. “We have put up warning signs to inform the public of the risk” he stated, and explained that this is a standard response by the City when bacterial levels are elevated.
“Water quality at Strand is impacted by many things. One of the biggest impacts is rainfall which causes the catchments to discharge into the sea at greater volumes, often carrying pollution and stormwater ingress into the sewer causing it to overflow and the wastewater goes out to sea via stormwater drains. This has recently been complicated further by the well documented failures of the Trappies sewer.”
However, residents and community groups argue that the warning signs are insufficient and that a more comprehensive water quality monitoring system, including a clear flag warning system, is needed. “The City’s indifference to public safety is unacceptable,” said a local resident.
The City has also been criticized for the size and placement of the existing warning signs, which many beachgoers say are too small and too few. This has led to confusion and increased the risk of exposure to contaminated water.
Asked why has the City failed to implement a comprehensive water quality monitoring and warning system, despite the clear risks to public health, Andrews replied that the City monitors water quality at this site on a weekly basis which is the same frequency as global best practise for coastal water quality and is the same frequency of sampling that is required by the international Blue Flag Programme which until last year only required one sample per month.
“Pollution warning signs are posted on the beach when bacterial levels are continuously elevated. In 2023 the City closed the beach for a short period due to the Trappies sewer failure,” he said.
Residents are demanding that the City take immediate action to address the sewage crisis, including holding responsible parties accountable for the spills and implementing a comprehensive water quality monitoring system. “We deserve clean water and a safe beach,” said a local activist.
Pressed on why has the City been so resistant to the idea of a water quality flag system, despite the overwhelming public support for such a measure, Andrews said that a flag and a sign provide the same information (i.e. pollution warning), yet a flag on its own also needs a sign to explain what the flag means and so a sign is simply better. “The City has run a flag system that it developed as part of the shark spotting programme which it has run since 2006 and has extensive experience in a flag system. For pollution warning a sign is the much preferred method. Water quality data changes moment by moment. It is a weekly sample that adds to a long chain of data that can be used as a risk assessment over time – it is not real time data like the presence or absence at any given moment of a shark in the case of the shark spotting flags.”.
The sewage crisis at Strand Beach is a stark reminder of the urgent need for the City of Cape Town to prioritise public health and environmental protection.
“In the 40 plus years of surfing at Strand and around the Cape Peninsula, this is the greatest catastrophe I have witnessed,” said Jamii Hamlin, who is among those at the forefront of putting pressure on the City to take some action. “At the Strand Surf Lifesaving Club meeting in November 2022, I suggested in person and since have formally written to the Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis submitting testimonials and pathological reports highlighting the ill health suffered by Strand locals. The City has already deemed that Milnerton Beach Lagoon, Three Anchor Bay, the Centre of False Bay and the Eastern shoreline from Maccassar to Gordon’s Bay are deemed chronically polluted and I often find litter floating kilometers from the shore.
“On behalf of my fellow water lovers and the environments welfare, I am going to approach the Centre for Environmental Rights to seek assistance and formalise a case against the City to hold the relevant officials responsible for failing us collectively”.
