Mystery surrounds Booysens stream pollution
The stream, on the western outskirts of the suburb, has been troubling residents for years.
Booysens residents in the west of Pretoria continue to be plagued by a mystery foul smell emanating from a nearby stream.
The stream, on the western outskirts of the suburb, has been troubling residents for years.
Waste and sewage runs directly into it from the industrial area and local residents have been complaining they cannot stand the stench any more.
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) took partial responsibility for the pollution of the stream in 2018.
It then made a concerted and continuous effort to minimise chemical waste stemming from the plant in Booysens.
However, this week, the company denied it was responsible for the current pollution.
“We can confirm that CCBSA is not responsible for the pollution in the stream,” spokesperson Nathalie Hendricks told Rekord this week.
Yet the stench remains.
Amanda van Biljoen, who runs a day care centre in the vicinity of the stream, is worried about the effects that the smell has on the children in her care, as well as her business.
“I am scared the children will get sick and that parents will take their children out of my crèche,” said Van Biljoen.
“On some days, the smell is so bad that children can’t even go play outside.”
Community activist Kleintjie Janse van Rensburg said there was a need for the Tshwane metro to clean the stream and surrounds regularly.
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“The most effective way would be to install a pipeline from the top of the stream, right down to where it flows into the Apies River,” Janse van Rensburg said.
The junction where the stream meets the river at the southern end of Attie Street, adds to the problem.
Here vagrants and cable thieves burn stolen cables to melt the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) insulation off the copper wires.
Pieter Bouwer, who runs a granite business nearby, is also at his wits’ end with regards to the fumes emitted from the area.
“The entire neighbourhood downwind of these premises are exposed to noxious emissions daily,” Bouwer said.
“Drastic action needs to be taken.”
A qualified environmental manager, Bouwer said that combustion of these materials could cause emphysema.
Ward 55 councillor Frik van Wyk said he has been aware of the situation for some time, and he was planning to meet with officials to discuss it.
“This will let us establish exactly which industrial plants contribute to the pollution,” he said.
The metro did not provide comment at the time of going to press.
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