Communities continue to be affected by sewage leaks and infrastructure failure at beaches in Nelson Mandela Bay.
A popular parkrun at Hobie Beach has been cancelled for tomorrow, Saturday July 5, due to a reported “river” of sewage at the location.
In a social media post, organisers of the PE Hobie Beach Parkrun issued an urgent notice to inform the community that the parkrun has been cancelled for tomorrow only, Saturday July 5, due to a sewage leak.
“Unfortunately, there is a big sewage leak on our beach route towards the Harbour Wall. This used to be a trickle in the past but has turned into a river of about 6 – 8 m wide,” the post read.
“Unfortunately, there is no way to divert around it at this stage. The matter has been reported to the municipality as it’s clearly a huge infrastructure failure, and the RD team will liase with our ambassadors regarding the way forward,” the post continued.
Meanwhile – in a statement yesterday, July 3, DA NMB Mayoral Candidate Retief Odendaal MPL underscored the need for serious interventions to address sewage pollution at Cape Recife Reserve.
“Treated or partially treated sewage continues to be discharged into the sea from the Cape Recife Wastewater Treatment Works, which is aging, poorly maintained, and mismanaged.”
Leaks at the plant have caused effluent to spill onto the beach, forming a river of pollution that flows directly into the ocean, the statement continued.
“We conducted an oversight inspection at the Cape Recife Wastewater Treatment Works and the beach. We also found that the flow of sewage is causing significant damage to roads and walkways in the area.”
Odendaal emphasised that years of neglect and failure to maintain, upgrade, and protect critical sewerage infrastructure have led to persistent pollution of beaches and waterways.
