This week saw yet another massive sewage spill occur on Jeffreys Bay Main Beach, otherwise known as Dolphin Beach. This has been a regular occurrence for nearly a decade and yet the local council seems unable to solve the problem.
Dolphin Beach has a Blue Flag status, yet many local residents of the world renowned coastal town wonder how that can be possible. Andy Thuysman, a local businessman who has been surfing the Kitchen Window surf break for decades said that visitors and residents are vocal about their disgust with Jeffreys Bay. “Our beaches are Jeffreys Bay main assets, yet year after year they look like a sewage dump”, said Thuysman.
Municipal graders and sewage trucks were on the scene sucking up sewage and building a dam of excrement on the beach in a belated effort to contain the spill and prevent it reaching the ocean.
Sewage spills on the Blue Flag beach have caused surfers to become inflicted with eye diseases and open cuts have become dangerously infected over the past 10 years.
This is an unacceptable situation for a town with world class surf breaks and some of the best beaches on the planet. Tourism is the life blood of Jeffreys Bay, yet weak excuses emanate from the Kouga Municipality about the sewage spills.
Will empty beaches and closed shops eventually bring the powers that be to their senses?
