GQEBERHA – A persistent sewage overflow crisis at Kings Beach has prompted urgent environmental warnings from Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan, whose own office has been flooded by the recurring infrastructure failures.
In the latest incident, raw sewage flooded the Kings Beach parking area yesterday, forcing another closure of the parking lot and beach.
“Thousands of litres of sewage and toilet paper have flowed into the parking lot, leading down to the municipal toilets towards the beach,” he shared on social media.
Meanwhile responding to questions, Tappan shared his environmental concerns with the PE Express.
“The environmental damage to our ecosystem and health hazard to the residents and children who visit this area is unacceptable,” Tappan commented. “I’m so annoyed because the entire ecosystem will once again be destroyed.”
According to Tappan, the sewage overflow, originating from outlets below the railway line at King’s Beach, has repeatedly flooded the parking area over the past year and municipal explanations have been inconsistent.
“Yesterday they said it was because of an electrical fault and that the pump station didn’t come back on,” Tappan commented. “Today they’re saying the pump station is working, but due to electrical faults, there was a blockage in the line and that’s why the overflow took place.”
Multiple events have been cancelled or affected by recent sewage spills at Kings Beach, including the Splash Festival, several Parkrun events and a large community walk involving 250 people.
“I’ve had my office flooded where I’ve had to replace the carpets, this is totally unacceptable,” he said. “Officials need to be held accountable.”
The PE Express reached out to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya who confirmed the temporary closure of Kings Beach.
“We wish to inform the public that Kings Beach has been closed until further notice as a precautionary measure to safeguard public health. The local pump station remains fully operational,” he explained.
Soyaya added that another sewer line has collapsed along the harbour wall area, however.
“During ongoing inspections, our teams have discovered another collapsed sewer line within the harbour area. Work is currently underway to unblock the sewer and we are in the process of issuing an urgent order for its replacement. Our teams are working as quickly and safely as possible to resolve the issue and restore access to the beach.”
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