Residents of Winterveld are being urged to stop dumping solid waste, including diapers, old blankets, plastics, and shrubs, into the Tolwane River, which runs through the township, to prevent water pollution.

The call was made by Department of Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo during a clean-up campaign themed “South Africa is a water-scarce country – clean up and protect our water resources” held on Monday.

The initiative is part of the department’s annual month-long Clear Rivers Campaign, held in July, which coincides with Mandela Month celebrations.

The event was conducted in partnership with stakeholders and community members, raising awareness about the importance of protecting water resources for a sustainable future and environmental preservation.

Seitlholo highlighted that Gauteng’s water is severely polluted, largely due to untreated or partially treated sewage flowing from water treatment facilities into rivers, tributaries, and ultimately dams.

He said mining industries, particularly through acid mine drainage, as well as agricultural runoff and industrial activities, are significant contributors to the pollution.

“It has become the responsibility of the Department of Water and Sanitation to come and communicate and place awareness on the crisis that we are facing and that is the pollution crisis,” he said.

He mentioned that Gauteng’s municipalities are responsible for discharging approximately 1.5 million litres of sewage daily into water resources, resulting in severe pollution.

Seitlholo cited Vaal River, which is heavily infested with water hyacinth, as an example of water resources affected by pollution.

“We are finding a situation where the Vaalkop Dam in the North West, as well as the Boschkop Dam, have got 95% and 100% coverage of alien invasive species, water salvinia, and water hyacinth, respectively. These alien invasive species take up a lot of our water,” he said. 

He said the dire state of water resources is a major crisis in the country that is being overlooked. 

He noted that while people protest when water is not coming out of their taps, they rarely do so when sewage contaminates rivers and dams.

“Everybody is so fixated on the water from the taps, forgetting that there is the beginning of the value chain, and if we don’t take care of the beginning of the value chain, then we are placing the security of the final product of the value chain at risk,” he said.

Ward 19 Councillor Maqaleni Mazibuko expressed gratitude towards the department for identifying the area for the clean-up campaign.

He said the event provides an opportunity for locals to understand the importance of water circulation and learn about the entire value chain that delivers water to their taps.

He said many people will benefit most from the campaign because it highlighted the importance of taking care of water.

Concern was raised about people consuming water directly from the river due to shortages, posing potential health risks.

Mazibuko said: “That thing is very problematic because at some point, our City of Tshwane fails to fix sewers in time, and some of the raw sewage is flowing directly into the river. I think from today, we are going to get a solution as to how we ensure that our water remains purified.”

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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