Clifton 4th Beach. Beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard were packed with Capetownians and holidaymakers after their New Year's 2024 celebrations. Photographer: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
THE research team behind the Project Blue report are standing by the findings of their investigation into the water quality at select Cape Town beaches. They have been under mounting criticism from the City and the DA.
The citizen-driven investigation found that several sampled beaches exceeded safety limits for E. coli and Enterococci; two common indicators of water contamination, after testing was conducted between November 4 and December 6, 2024.
“Exceedances were noted in 42% of the sample dates for the Table Bay side of the survey, while for the False Bay side the exceedances occurred for 38% of the sample dates. The exceedances on the Table Bay side occurred primarily, but not exclusively on non-South-Easter prevailing wind days. The one particular stretch of beach in The Strand where the Soet River flows into the sea is grossly polluted. There is a sign erected on the beach saying that swimming is at ‘own risk’,” the report stated.
According to Project Blue’s report, water samples from Camps Bay showed high levels of Enterococci — more than 2,419 cfu/100ml — on one of the five testing dates.
However the City maintained that its water quality was safe.
“Of 297 water samples at designated swimming areas across the City’s 30 most popular coastal recreational nodes, a full 100% were within recreational use thresholds over the festive season. All water samples underwent independent analysis conducted by a laboratory that is SANAS accredited for microbiological analysis for sea water,” the City said.
According to the City, the laboratories used for Project Blue’s testing were allegedly not SANAS accredited for the specific testing done and the project’s sampling was limited.
“A significant portion of Project Blue’s limited sampling was at known chronically polluted locations at the Soet River Mouth in Strand and Lagoon Beach in Milnerton, which are in fact closed for recreational use. Pollution at these locations is well-documented, with major infrastructural and societal efforts under way to address these.”
Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews added: “Where specific pollution incidents are identified, the City responds swiftly to address the pollution source, install warning signage, and take water samples until results show it’s safe to swim again.”
On behalf of Project Blue, Caroline Marx said A L Abbott, the laboratory used for Table Bay analysis including Camps Bay and Clifton 4th Beach is SANAS accredited for both E Coli and Enterococci in saline water.
“Vinlab, the laboratory used for False Bay analysis is SANAS accredited for E Coli, faecal coliforms and total coliforms in effluent, potable water and environmental samples as well as Enterobacteriaceae for environmental samples. Project Blue acknowledges that Vinlab is not specifically accredited for Enterococci, however this does not mean the results are incorrect and Vinlab stands by its results. In some cases, it simply means the laboratory has not applied for that specific accreditation,” Marx said.
She said Project Blue has not “made allegations about water quality” but instead was alerting City officials to its results, at a few selected beaches.
“Project Blue was initiated after requests from concerned community members and water user groups and funding was community donation based with no single donor providing more than 20% of the project costs. Project Blue supports (the) view that public concerns should be addressed in a constructive and accountable manner through transparent engagement rather than attempting to discredit genuine attempts to engage through vague insinuations of ‘conflicts of interest’, ‘lack of peer review’, ‘lack of historical comparisons’.”
“With respect, perhaps (DA Western Cape spokesperson on Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Dave Bryant) should rather focus on enforcing the two directives, attached for his reference, issued by his department against the City in 2020 and 2024 for polluting the Diep River and Milnerton Lagoon given that pollution levels over the past few months have been some of the worst ever experienced with multiple E Coli counts in the millions, reaching over 24 million cfu/100ml in December 2024, with a foul smell in the area on many days.”
She said failure to penalise the City for the ongoing pollution could be viewed as a “dereliction of duty or even political cronyism”.
“Notwithstanding these concerns, the Project Blue team remains committed to working constructively with all parties towards protecting the environment.”
Bryant called for a public apology from Project Blue citing “misleading claims” about Cape Town’s water quality.
“Project Blue must take responsibility for the unnecessary alarm and potential economic harm caused by their report. Their approach has risked undermining public trust and tarnishing Cape Town’s reputation as a premier coastal destination. An apology is owed not only to the City but also to the public and the businesses that depend on tourism for their survival. The DA remains committed to safeguarding Cape Town’s natural resources, ensuring public safety, and upholding the highest standards of transparency,” Bryant said.
“We reiterate our call for Project Blue to release their testing samples, methodology, locations of sampling, the conditions under which samples were collected, the analysis methods and standards used, and the frequency of testing. Project Blue should disclose whether their findings were peer-reviewed, provide any historical data comparisons, and clarify their funding sources to address potential conflicts of interest.”
Additional reporting by Hope Ntanzi.
Cape Times