[Image: here]
Shame, Dan du Plessis has been through the wars.
The Stormers rugby player had only just recently recovered from a knee injury which kept him sidelined since November last year and now he’s delayed getting on the field again due to a suspected dodgy swim at a Cape Town beach.
According to Netwerk24, Du Plessis spent a few days on a drip in hospital last week because of an E. coli infection that he is suspected to have contracted during a swimming session in Camps Bay.
His availability for selection in the Stormers’ next URC game against the Bulls on Saturday was cast in doubt when he contracted the gastrointestinal infection, but he should be up and running now.
Thankfully, the 25-year-old centre has since recovered and is expected to return to rugby this week, having last featured for the Stormers in the URC round 7 match against the Sharks at Kings Park.
There have been major debates about the quality of the water, particularly at some of Cape Town’s popular beaches. Early this year we wrote about a citizen-led report that fudged the City of Cape Town’s claims that its beaches boast pristine seawater quality.
Between 4 November and 6 December 2024, Project Blue tested water quality at popular beaches around Table Bay and False Bay. Their findings showed how sewage contamination was detected at key recreational spots, even calling into question the City’s water quality claims at Blue Flag beaches.
The city hit back, trying to defend its water quality tests but the Project Blue research has stuck strongly. You can read about the whole debacle over here.
As for Du Plessis, CoCT says it cannot be confirmed that he got sick from swimming:
“It’s important to note that no one has confirmed the player’s infection was contracted while swimming at Camps Bay,” a City of Cape Town official said in response to the story.
“The City can confirm no sewer spills in Camps Bay for January, and daily samples at the beach continue to show water quality within recreational use guidelines.”
No sewer spills in the area in January don’t necessarily always mean clean water though, let’s be real.
[Source: SA Rugby Mag]
