River cleanup reduces floods

Rainfall has fallen in Gauteng for nearly two weeks but the notorious floods in Centurion in Pretoria have been unusually minimal, with no major incidents.

This is partly due to the efforts of a group of men living alongside the Hennops River who formed a team to regularly clean out tons of garbage from the river.

The river, which starts in Kempton Park and stretches 100km, is swamped with plastic, polystyrene, sewage and sporadic heaps of foam.

Organisations, individuals and the City of Tshwane have been tackling the river’s disastrous condition, removing large quantities of waste weekly.

Some of the decaying waste turns into microplastics while the polystyrene releases hormonally active agents which can cause birth defects and developmental disorders.

It sometimes also led to blockages and flooding. But under a bridge not far away live a group of eight men who joined the efforts of nonprofit organisation Hennops Revival to put in hard labour to fight the pollution.

Sibusiso Masango has been living near the river for the past four years after leaving KwaNdebele to look for work. Since his arrival, he has never seen the river in good condition, he said.

He approached founder of Hennops Revival, Tarryn Johnston, when he noticed her cleaning the river early last year.

“I went to her to ask for work. She said I can work with them to clean out the river,” he said.

He was one of those who helped rid the river of dumped latex gloves and surgical masks last year during a period when personal protective equipment was in short supply.

Their team leader, Johannes Dube, lived near the river for several years before the nongovernmental organisation moved him to a homeless shelter.

Speaking from a large waste pile at a poly island net which caught rubbish after the recent rains, Dube said he was willing to do anything required when it came to his work.

“I know my work very well and I help where I can because I love it. I am the team leader because I am willing to do anything and whatever they struggle with, including planning.”

Dube and Johnston say they have seen a decline in flooding in the area. This was due to the reduction of stormwater drainage blockages, Johnston said.

“With us being so active, because there has been less blockages, there has been less flooding,” she said.

Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said there were high volumes of water and localised flooding in Centurion in recent weeks, but “not as bad as it usually is”.