⭐ KZN SOUTH COAST SHINES BRIGHTER THAN EVER AT 2025/26 BLUE FLAG AWARDS

Last year, the KZN South Coast made waves when it secured seven Blue Flag Beaches,  a major milestone that put our coastline shoulder to shoulder with South Africa’s top coastal regions.

This year? We didn’t just keep up. We levelled up.

At the 2025 Blue Flag Award Ceremony, held on 31 October at the Royal St. Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred, the spotlight was firmly on KwaZulu-Natal, and once again, the South Coast stole the show.

With 8 Full Blue Flag Beaches, 6 Pilot Blue Flag Beaches, and 2 Green Coast Awards, the KZN South Coast now accounts for nearly half of KZN’s total Blue Flag sites, proving that our stretch of shoreline remains one of the most sustainably managed and naturally spectacular regions in the country.

🌊 From 2024 to 2025 – What’s Changed?

In 2024/25, KwaZulu-Natal celebrated seven Blue Flag beaches in total, six under Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) and one under Umdoni Municipality (Pennington).

This year, the 2025/26 results show real growth:

• The South Coast now boasts eight Full Blue Flag Beaches (including the return of Ramsgate and the exciting first-time addition of St Michael’s Beach)

• Two brand-new Pilot Blue Flag Beaches , Umtentweni and Port Edward –  joined the RNM lineup

• Four Umdoni Pilot Beaches were renewed (Rocky Bay, Preston, Umthwalume, and Scottburgh)

• And, for the first time ever, two Green Coast Awards were granted to Trafalgar Marine & Surrounds and Leisure Beach (Leisure Bay Conservancy)

That’s not just progress, that’s a full-on coastal comeback story.

🏆 2025/26 Full Blue Flag Beaches

Trafalgar • Marina • Ramsgate • St Michaels (first-time awardee!) • Umzumbe • Southport • Hibberdene • Pennington

🏁 Pilot Blue Flag Beaches

Port Edward • Umtentweni (RNM)
Rocky Bay • Preston • Umthwalume • Scottburgh (Umdoni)

🌿 Green Coast Awards

Trafalgar Marine & Surrounds • Leisure Beach

🌟 Special Recognition

• Hibberdene Beach: 10 consecutive years as a Blue Flag Beach

• Umzumbe Beach: 15 consecutive years,  a testament to long-term excellence and consistency

💬 What It Means

These awards don’t just celebrate pristine sand and clear water,  they represent a standard of sustainability, safety, and community care that few coastal regions maintain so consistently.

Each Blue Flag is a promise,  that the beach meets international standards for water quality, environmental education, safety, and facilities.
Each Green Coast Award celebrates natural, untouched stretches of coast where conservation and community stewardship are the stars of the show.

💚 Community Champions

A huge shout-out goes to the Tidy Towns groups, municipal teams, conservancies, and everyday locals who work tirelessly behind the scenes,  cleaning, caring, and keeping our coastline beautiful.

Because when you do everything you can, and we do everything we can, the South Coast becomes the destination again,  vibrant, safe, and proudly ours.

📸 Captured by Local Eyes

Image of Trafalgar Beach courtesy of Cristina Fernandez, who shared her favourite South Coast snapshot on Hibiscus Coast Seconds (HCS),  a perfect reminder of what we’re all working to protect: the breathtaking home we call the South Coast.

✨ A Coast That Keeps Winning

The KZN South Coast isn’t just another holiday spot,  it’s a community-driven success story, built on collaboration, conservation, and pure coastal pride.

So here’s to every beach cleaner, every lifeguard, every local volunteer, and every visitor who chooses to keep it local and keep it beautiful.

This year, we didn’t just wave the flag. We raised it higher.

#BlueFlagBeaches #SouthCoastKZN #thelocalfirstchallenge #GreenCoastAwards #RayNkonyeniMunicipality #TidyTowns #ProudlySouthCoast