Years of unhindered raw sewage outflows have laid waste to rivers in the Cradle of Humankind, severely affecting tourism establishments in the area.
Despite intensive pressure from community organisations and civil society, and a call from President Cyril Ramaphosa last year for local government officials to urgently address the matter, little progress has been made in halting sewage flows from dysfunctional wastewater treatment facilities in the Mogale City Local Municipality.
The situation is grave and has been so for quite a number of years, said Trevor Brough , Director of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Association, who has spearheaded advocacy efforts in the region since 2019.
There have been numerous reports of substantial amounts of money spent to rectify the problem but the reality at ground level is that the pollution levels in the rivers are unacceptably high and impacting on the ecology as well as tourism and the economy of the area.
Affected rivers include the Blougat and Bloubankspruit, which run through numerous guest farms and popular attractions such as the NIROX Sculpture Park and conferencing facilities such as Nedbanks Olwazini venue.