Overview

• Michelle Sky Hayward, a South African influencer and former kitesurf champion, posted a TikTok on July 24 showing her swimming in white foam off a Cape Town beach that viewers quickly identified as sewage effluent.
• By July 25 the clip had amassed over 6.3 million views as social media users flagged the foam’s source as untreated wastewater from local sewage outlets.
• In a follow-up video she confirmed the foam was sewage-generated and admitted she feared she had “made a grave error” on realizing what she was swimming in.
• Hayward says she remains symptom-free and is urging followers to verify water quality and choose beaches with proper sanitation or Blue Flag certification.
• Environmental advocates warn that many urban beaches in Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal suffer from direct sewage discharges, heightening risks of bacterial infections such as E. coli and prompting calls for improved wastewater management.