The Marite, Hazyview and surrounding communities are furious with two private companies, accusing them of polluting rivers in the area.

This follows a recent incident in which a private company was caught red-handed while dumping human waste in a ravine. Earlier this month, another private company was found to be dumping waste into the Ngwaritsi River, which flows into the Sabie River near Hazyview.

Both rivers – vital water sources in the region – are not only used by households, but also by farmers to irrigate their crops. The Sabie River, which is fed by the Ngwaritsi River, flows through the Kruger National Park.

Contaminated water can lead to waterborne diseases in humans and have serious negative impacts on farm animals; affecting their health, productivity and even the safety of their produce. Animals may suffer from various ailments due to ingesting contaminated water or consuming plants grown in polluted soil, compromising the quality of meat and milk.

Should this situation continue, the agricultural sector, a cornerstone of Hazyview’s economy, could face potential devastation. Polluted water renders farmlands unproductive and poses a serious risk to food safety.

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This water pollution has raised serious concerns about public health and agricultural sustainability, prompting affected communities to call for urgent intervention. Community leaders are demanding immediate action from both government and the private sector. “We need accountability. These companies must be held responsible for their actions. Stricter regulations need to be enforced to prevent environmental crimes. We are living in a water-scarce area, using this water to wash our clothes, clean, and irrigate our gardens. Some churches use these polluted rivers to baptise their congregants,” they said.

A local businessman and City of Mbombela councillor, Ken Robertson, said: “We are all responsible for taking care of our immediate environment. The offending companies are specifically licensed to handle waste. To our horror, one of these companies was caught discharging waste into a ravine, with full knowledge of the environmental impact. We urge the company to take immediate disciplinary action against the driver of the truck who dumped the waste, and his assistant, for their blatant disregard of our environment.”

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Jabu Maseko, a local farmer, said private companies show little respect for the people who rely on the rivers. “How can you dump human waste in a river within a residential area surrounded by farms? I am a vegetable farmer, selling to local people. I am worried they will get ill and I will lose my business.”

One of the companies that was caught dumping was Econo Grease Traps. The company’s Shaun Halland said the staff members who were found dumping were fired because their contract states that if they are found illegally dumping, they will be dismissed immediately.

“They were supposed to dump the traps in a designated area in Mbombela and decided to take a shortcut, which is not acceptable. We have since cleaned the area where they dumped. The vehicle used has been written off, and we would like to apologise to all the affected parties. We pride ourselves on keeping the environment clean and not polluting,” Halland said.

The other company – that was dumping human waste – was not available for comment at the time of going to press.

The spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Zanele Shabangu, condemned the water pollution and called on the public to report those found polluting rivers, so they can be dealt with accordingly.