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A view of a Durban beach.
The mayor of eThekwini Cyril Xaba has expressed his satisfaction with an Easter long weekend that thousands of visitors could enjoy without any major incidents. The metro had an influx of 1,2 million visitors.
Xaba visited the Durban beach front to chat with locals and visitors about their experiences. The mayor pointed out that safety plays an important part in promoting the city as a tourist destination.
#PODCAST Projections for KwaZulu-Natal estimate a tourism spend of almost a billion rand over the Easter long weekend #sabcnews #sabckzn @salpatel786
— SABC News Radio (@SABCNews_Radio) April 3, 2026
Xaba says he is happy with the way the Metro Police, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and private security companies are working together this long weekend so that thousands of visitors could enjoy Easter without any serious incidents.
He says it’s important for tourism that people feel safe.
“If they don’t feel safe of course they will stop coming to the city of Durban. And in fact that would be a dampener. Because they would not want to go out, they will stay indoors. We don’t want that. When you are in Durban, you must go out, see what Durban has to offer. There are attractions here. We want you to extend your stay so that you really see that you have come to a city that offers what you need and that when you go back home you become an ambassador of the city of Durban.”
Xaba says this can only be achieved through team work. “It’s only when business, government and the public work in harmony like hand in glove, that we can sustain the numbers. Remember these people spend money. Our visitors spend money.”
Many of the people at the Durban beach front were relaxing with family on Easter Sunday, or attending the Festival of Chariots held by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Holidaymakers are expected to return home on Monday which could lead to heavy traffic on the N3.
