The eThekwini Municipality is calling on all bathers not to swim at the local beaches, for now. Municipal Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela says members of the public are currently breaking lockdown regulations by swimming before it is officially allowed on October 1st.
“We must warn the public and the tourists that as much as our beaches have been opened but they are not yet open to for bathing. So you can simply just go there, walk on the promenade, walk on the sand – but bathing is not allowed. We are not doing this with an intention to frustrate the public but it is more about safety more than any other thing. The nets have been recently installed and they require a couple of days for them to sink and be safe enough to deter sharks to approach the area which we usually occupy.”
Increased number of tourists
Meanwhile, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal says it’s encouraged by the increased number of tourists that have made their way into the province this weekend. With Heritage Day being observed as a public holiday on Thursday, several out of town visitors have seemingly turned it into a long weekend.
General Manager for Marketing at Tourism KZN, Thulisile Galelekile, says industry players are excited to serve lockdown-weary travellers. She says the tourism sector is ready for the much-needed boost.
“KwaZulu-Natal has been constantly monitoring the number of people coming to this province this weekend. It is quite encouraging to note the number of cars from outside the province that have been driving through our toll gates since the beginning of this long weekend.
Also encouraging is the feedback from business owners who have informed us that they are at high occupancies, an indication of the hard work that has been put behind ensuring that travellers keep KwaZulu-Natal top of mind. We want to continue to reassure our visitors that as a province we are doing everything possible to observe the safety protocol.”
Tourism KZN releases a video to attract tourists:
