Centurion’s Hennops River clean-up gains momentum

Tons of effort has been put into cleaning up the Hennops River in Centurion following flooding earlier this year that resulted in an influx of soil and waste, severely polluting the surrounding area.

Most recently, more than 100 volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God cleared six tons of waste along the river as part of their ongoing Erasing Plastic Footprints campaign.

Ongoing volunteer work makes impact

Hennops River Revival founder Tarryn Johnston, who has been working along the river for almost a decade, said though the river was in a bad state, every little bit has helped.

“It does make a huge difference and what I love is how adventurous it gets, building bridges to cross the river,” she said.

Clean-up efforts gather momentum

Last month, volunteers from the Nimbostratus, the Aaptwak, and the Hennops River Revival Foundations removed 1 292 bags of waste from the river and its surrounding areas over two days.

Although local ward councillor Gert Visser expressed his appreciation, he said it was not a simple quick fix.

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“Industries dumping, businesses dumping and the waste of the informal settlements not being collected by the municipalities and this ends up in the river.

Health risk

“One of the consequences is that the river has this stench and puts people’s health at risk,” he said.

Visser said the clean-up was also about creating awareness about the use and disposal of plastics.

Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim, of the Church of God General, said the Erasing Plastic Footprints campaign was launched in 2024 to mark the 60th anniversary of the church’s establishment.

He said it also forms part of the worldwide hope challenge which includes blood donation, tree planting, assistance for underprivileged neighbours, invasive plant removal and beach clean-ups.

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