“It’s a Dumping Site With Water”: Dirty Cape Town Beach Sparks Outrage Among South Africans

• A young environmental activist showed social media users how dirty a beach in Cape Town was
• She said in her TikTok video that out of all the beaches she had cleaned, she dubbed the site the dirtiest
• The clip infuriated many South Africans, who also wanted the City of Cape Town to intervene

Zoë Prinsloo, an environmental activist from the Cape Town-based organisation Save a Fishie, was stunned to see the disappointing state of a beach in the Mother City. The video infuriated South Africans, who shared their opinions about the mess.

The young woman shared her video on TikTok on 18 January 2026, revealing that she was at Macassar Beach, a 30-minute drive away from the city.

Zoë shared with online viewers:

"Having cleaned over 120 beaches around South Africa, I have named this the dirtiest beach in South Africa."

Watch the TikTok video posted on Save a Fishie's account below:

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Dirty Cape Town beach upsets South Africans

Hundreds of social media users entered the comment section with their thoughts about the litter that was strewn on Macassar Beach.

@her_mindset_mentor, who found the video "terribly heartbreaking," asked:

"Can the locals not get together and do a couple of beach cleanups?"

@mommy_can_i_get exclaimed in the comments:

"The City of Cape Town has the responsibility to keep it clean!"

@yuwinschrikker1 wrote under the post:

"Why are people doing this? No, man, this is so sad."

@danihart93 shared their opinion about the area, writing:

"It's a dumping site with water, not a beach."

@amanda.celliers told people on the internet:

"This was a beautiful, clean beach in the 70s when I lived there."

@kimmathee_e_ added in the comment section:

"But also, there are no green bins for people to put their litter. I know it's no excuse, but it's a start."

3 Other stories about Cape Town beaches

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• In another article published last year, Briefly News reported that a crowded beach on Reconciliation Day reignited conversations about safety.
• A local surfer shared a video of South Africa's most dangerous sea slugs, which were roughly the size of an average thumb.
• South Africans were outraged when they saw the state of an affluent suburb; the beach was scattered with debris.

Source: Briefly News