Cape Town's beaches, once considered some of the most pristine in the world, are facing growing scrutiny as independent water testing initiative, Project Blue, reveals troubling discrepancies between the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) claims of safe water quality and the reality on the ground.
In a series of rigorous tests conducted between November 4 and December 6, 2024, concerned citizens found that nearly 40% of sampled beaches exceeded safety limits for E. coli and Enterococci; two common indicators of water contamination.
This directly contradicts public statements made by City officials, including Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who on December 15, 2024, declared that “146 out of 146 samples” from Cape Town’s most popular beaches had achieved “excellent water quality” status. Yet, Project Blue's findings suggest a different reality, with high bacterial counts recorded at several popular Blue Flag beaches, including Camps Bay, Clifton 4th, and Saunders Rock.
The findings, independently verified by renowned water quality expert Professor Anthony Turton, point to widespread contamination at key beach locations.
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. The report also revealed alarming contamination at the Soet River mouth in Strand, with bacterial counts well above acceptable safety thresholds. In total, 42% of sampling dates at Table Bay exceeded the safety limits for E. coli and Enterococci.
Turton criticised the City’s water testing protocols, calling them “inadequate and misleading” in assessing the actual risks of water contamination.
“From a scientific sampling perspective, the testing protocol used by the CoCT is inadequate and misleading to draw the conclusions they have drawn. Therefore, it is erroneous to conclude that the beaches are safe to swim in,” he stated. He recommended that the City adopt more robust and comprehensive testing procedures to accurately reflect the contamination risks posed by sewage.
Caroline Marx, director of the RethinktheStink, which spearheaded Project Blue, echoed these concerns.
"The results are deeply concerning,” she said.
“Widespread contamination was observed, particularly in Table Bay, where 42% of the sampling dates exceeded safety limits for E. coli and Enterococci. These are serious public health risks.”
Marx also noted that no visible signage or warnings were placed at beaches where contamination levels far exceeded the safety thresholds.
“We need transparency in water testing and better communication with the public,” she said.
The City of Cape Town said it noted findings of water sampling in the Project Blue report, acknowledged by the authors to be a ‘very limited survey’ and has requested and is awaiting supporting information from the authors upon which findings and statements of the report are based, but can respond as follows in the interim:
“The report finds that out of seven water samples at two Blue Flag beaches between November 26 to December 6, one sample was above guideline thresholds for enterococci at Camps Bay, and two at Clifton 4th beach”.Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews said while the exact locations of Project Blue sampling points are not known, nor has the City examined the testing protocols, it can be stated that:
“Regarding Camps Bay: based on the outcome of 371 City sampling tests over the last 12 months from four locations at Camps Bay beach, results show consistently high water quality at this beach throughout the year. “A full 100% of the 10 most recent water samples were within recreational use guidelines at three locations along Camps Bay beach over the festive season, including samples taken on December 6, when the Project Blue sample returned the solitary above-guideline enterococci result.
Regarding Clifton 4th Beach: while City sampling dates at Clifton 4th differ from those of Project Blue, 100% of independently analysed samples at this beach for December and January have been within recreational guidelines over the festive period,” Andrews said.
He said 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 its safe to swim again.
“This responsiveness and commitment to transparency is what sets Cape Town apart as a world-class tourism destination, enjoyed by record numbers of visitors and locals this past festive season. In general, after rainfall events and due to the flushing of the catchments, the water quality usually declines for short periods. This is a common phenomenon in urban areas around the world, but as it currently stands, Cape Town’s coastal water quality is of a very high standard at our popular beaches,” Andrews said.
The discrepancies found in Cape Town’s beach water quality are not an isolated case but part of a broader national issue where water resources are being polluted.
Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, recently revealed that more than 50% of South African municipalities are facing criminal charges for failing to address raw sewage spills into freshwater resources.
In response to a parliamentary inquiry from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Cathlene Labuschagne, Majodina disclosed that 50.61% of municipalities are subject to criminal proceedings for non-compliance with sewage management directives issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
Majodina explained that the DWS had issued 164 directives from 2019 to September 2024 to address raw sewage spills. Of the municipalities assessed, 94 were non-compliant, 54 were partially compliant, and only 15 achieved full compliance. To date, 83 criminal cases have been initiated, while 69 municipalities remain under investigation.
Deputy Minister Isaac Seitlholo further emphasised the severity of South Africa's water pollution crisis, stating, “Water pollution in South Africa has worsened, largely due to the collapse of municipal governance.”
He pointed to a lack of planning, operation, and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure, which has led to raw sewage contamination in freshwater resources. The situation has been exacerbated by a lack of resources and capacity in municipalities, which struggle to address these mounting challenges.
In response to the worsening water quality crisis, Majodina highlighted several key actions that the DWS is taking. One of these is the Blue Drop Certification Programme, which was recently revived to strengthen municipal water quality monitoring. Under this programme, municipalities are assessed for their compliance with microbiological and chemical quality standards as outlined in the SANS 241 regulations.
Majodina stressed the importance of municipalities implementing water safety planning and an Incident Management Protocol to manage drinking water quality failures.
This protocol ensures that municipalities take prompt action to protect public health in the event of contamination. Furthermore, the DWS has introduced an online system, the Integrated Regulatory Information System (Iris), that enables municipalities to upload their water quality results for real-time monitoring and early detection of water quality issues.
“The DWS requires municipalities to act swiftly when water quality results show a health risk,” Majodina said.
“This includes informing consumers about potential dangers and ensuring that corrective measures are taken promptly.”
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