A beach along the KZN coastline. The Uvonga Beach on the KZN South Coast was temporarily closed due to high E Coli levels this month. Picture: Independent Newspapers Archives
A family of seven, including a toddler, have said they got sick – experiencing diarrhoea and vomiting – after visiting Uvongo Beach this month.
The 23-month-old became severely ill and was hospitalised.
The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality confirmed that Uvongo Beach did record high E coli levels and was temporarily closed but has since reopened due to an improvement in the levels. The municipality said that the source of the high E Coli levels is being investigated.
Mother Robyn Emily Perumal said the group of seven family members, “including our 23-month-old son Malachi”, took an afternoon drive to Uvongo Beach on December 17.
“We played ball on the sand. Nobody swam. Our son splashed about at the edge of the river but nothing more than that.”
Perumal said the next evening Malachi was fussy and vomited.
“He proceeded to do this 14 more times that night until 7am the next morning. A runny tummy then began when this ended. We contacted a doctor the next morning and were prescribed an antibiotic. Another person who joined the trip became ill the same night and took medication, recovering after around four days, with symptoms subsiding after two days.”
Perumal said that by December 21, her husband caught the same bug around midnight and she then experienced symptoms.
“On Sunday morning, it had spread to my dad, and on Monday, my mum and uncle who lives with us began with their symptoms. On Christmas Eve, Malachi was eventually so weak despite all kinds of medication that he had to be admitted to hospital. We did a stool test to see how Malachi is progressing. It has come back positive with six viruses, including three types of E Coli.”
He was discharged from hospital on Sunday. Perumal added that Uvongo Beach was only closed on December 20 but has since been reopened.
On its social media page, Ray Nkonyeni Municipality posted on December 23 that recreational activities at Uvongo Beach and lagoon were prohibited due to high levels of E Coli detected in the water.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and assure residents and visitors that updates will be provided as new developments arise.”
Simon April, the spokesperson for the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, said that the child testing positive for E Coli is unfortunate and regrettable.
“We wish him a speedy recovery. The Ugu District Municipality is still investigating what may have led to water contamination as they’re responsible for water and sanitation.”
April added that water quality is normally tested fortnightly, however, Ugu District Municipality tests the water quality on a weekly basis.
“If there’s a challenge they have picked up, they inform the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality. On the issue of the (beach closure) notice, there may have been a delay in putting up a notice on Uvongo Lagoon due to the fact that it had to be sourced from Ugu. Whilst we were waiting for the signage, we had instructed lifeguards to prevent people from using Uvongo Lagoon, but they raised a concern that some people ignored their warnings and instructions.”
April said that currently, all beaches, including Uvongo Beach, had been cleared of any contamination except the lagoons, with the Uvongo Lagoon being the worst affected one.
President of the South Coast Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dick Basday, said: “It’s worrying that we are at the peak of the holiday period on the South Coast and Uvongo Beach had high E Coli levels. I’m also worried about the beach being opened so quickly after we found that E Coli levels were high.”