Nahoon Beach in East London has been temporarily closed following a shark sighting on Saturday, just days after a 65-year-old swimmer died in a fatal shark attack at a nearby Eastern Cape beach.
The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) confirmed the latest closure as a precautionary measure, warning bathers and beachgoers not to enter the water until further notice.
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The warning comes after Janine Lochrenberg was killed in a shark attack at Orient Beach in KuGompo City, formerly East London, on Tuesday, 20 October.
Lochrenberg was swimming with a group of open-water swimmers when the attack occurred. Fellow swimmers rushed to help and brought her towards shore, where attempts to save her life were unsuccessful. An inquest has been opened into her death.
Beachgoers warned to stay out of the water
In its notice, BCMM urged the public to respect the temporary closure of Nahoon Beach and follow all instructions issued by beach officials.
“As a precautionary measure, all bathers and beachgoers are strongly warned not to enter the water until further notice,” the municipality said.
The city added that it would provide further updates on the reopening of the beach once conditions were considered safe.
Fatal shark attack raises concern along the coast
Lochrenberg’s death has shocked the Eastern Cape’s open-water swimming community and renewed attention on beach safety following shark activity along the coastline.
Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach were closed after the fatal attack. The municipality subsequently reopened those beaches following safety considerations, while the latest shark sighting has prompted a separate temporary closure at Nahoon Beach.
Beachgoers are urged to take warnings seriously, avoid entering the water at Nahoon Beach while the closure remains in place and comply with any further safety instructions from municipal officials.
No reopening time has been announced as at the time of publishing.