Supported by the Human Elephant Foundation, the Sunday Tribune Game Changers series gives voice to people in Kwazulu-natal who are making this world a better place for nature and people. Every week we publish the profile of a person who deserves recogniti
Saving a famous KZN river is the mission of a paddler who believes that change is possible, writes Liz Clarke
IT’S A widely accepted belief that if you haven’t competed in the KZN Dusi Canoe Marathon, you aren’t a real paddler.
“It’s one of those things that has just stuck in the world of paddling,” says 10-times Dusi competitor Brendon Germaine, who also designs and makes boards for KZN paddlers at his workshop in Drummond.
“But the sadness is that the iconic river that gave birth to the Dusi is dying,” he believes.
“Unless we do something about it in the next few years, the event will no longer be possible because of the contamination and health risks. Already we are seeing a reduction in the numbers of competitors. Getting sick is not just a maybe in the Dusi. It’s the norm.”
And Germaine has firsthand experience of the health impact. He has chronic bilharzia, which many of the Dusi competitors have, and is still recovering from waterborn coxsackie virus, which has impacted on his immune system and has contributed to a number of health problems, which doctors have told him will be with him for life.
“I was unable to complete in this year’s Dusi because of body weakness. Now I have been warned that unless my immune system improves, the likelihood is that I won’t be able to compete in the race again.”
Walking away from a negative situation is the easy thing to do. Finding a healthier river to paddle on, like the Fish River, would be a more sensible option.
“I could do that, but then I would always think that I should have done more to raise awareness. I would love nothing more than to see the Msunduzi River restored to good health. It will need huge commitment and buy-in from communities living along the banks. But we have to try, not only for us, but for future generations.”
It is such an iconic part of KZN, he says. “It’s part of our sporting history going back to environmental pioneers like Ian Player who did the first Dusi and realised it was possible to canoe down the river from Maritzburg to Blue Lagoon.”
A recent paddling expedition to Rwanda, he says, opened his eyes to what is possible in the way of environmental awareness.
“Kigali is one of the cleanest cities you can find,” he says. “Every year, the country celebrates a clean-up day. Everything shuts down – businesses, restaurants, shops – and every person is required to pick up litter and do something towards cleaning up rivers and streets. Imagine if we could do that here, it would be a start.”
Germaine is encouraging his canoeing colleagues to join in the fight to save the river – and to save the race.
“At the moment we are looking into the possibility of a research project that would test the water at each stretch of the river to get a better understanding of the issues and what needs to be done.” Brendon Germaine… on a mission to save a river.
His search for answers, he says, is an ongoing mission.
“Two surfers in America have started a recycling business making bracelets from plastic found in the sea. They have become must-have fashion accessories, raising money for anti-pollution outreach programmes. We have enough rubbish discarded into our rivers that could be put to the same use.”
He says there is a growing understanding that the health situation with the Dusi cannot continue.
“I have canoeing colleagues
like Dean Botcher, John Ivans and Corran Addison, who are all passionate stand-up paddlers like myself, who want nothing more than to be able to compete on the river. But the river is not well. In fact she is chronically ill.”
Is it a terminal sickness? Germaine and his fellow canoeists are hoping and praying it is not the case.“one day I want to say to my 5-year old son, Brody, that we helped clean the river so that you and your generation can paddle without getting sick.”
lizclarke4@gmail.com COXSACKIE viruses are the most common non-polio enteroviruses found in domestic wastewater and in contaminated surface water, groundwater and drinking water.
These viruses can cause vomiting, fever, headache, rash and diarrhoea, and result in such serious outcomes as aseptic meningitis, myocarditis, respiratory illness, encephalitis, and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
The stability of the coxsackie virus in the environment, its resistance to water treatment, and its association with a range of serious illnesses underscore the importance of maintaining a reliable and effective treatment of wastewater and drinking water.
Additional research is needed on the occurrence of the coxsackie virus in water supplies, with viral testing focusing on the identification of specific viruses rather than viral groups.
The resulting data will lead to a more complete database that can assist in the decisionmaking process for water treatment and watershed protection programmes. – International Water Works Association
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