Hennops Revival dedicated to saving the river

The rotting carcass of a dead dog was among the garbage removed from the polluted Hennops River this week.

Hennops Revival NPO has to date removed one-and-a-half million kilogrammes of refuse from the river in 65 000 bags, according to founder Tarryn Johnston.

Johnston and her team of environmentalists are dedicated to cleaning up the Hennops River for the benefit of the citizens of Centurion and the surrounding environment.

Johnston founded the Hennops Revival NPO in 2019 after a massive flood devastated large areas of land surrounding the river.

One of Johnston’s aims is to get the community of Centurion involved in cleaning up the river.

“We all share this water, and I think people should be made aware of this and be more conscious about how they treat the environment,” said Johnston.

The Hennops starts in Ekurhuleni as part of the Kaalspruit and winds through Thembisa into Centurion.

The two main problems the river faces in terms of pollution are illegal dumping and industrial effluent.

Johnston says many businesses in the area dump their waste into the river to save costs.

“Law enforcement in our country is not taken seriously and people have become apathetic.

“People see others getting away with dumping rubbish in the river and then do the same.

“Even though we have a really beautiful South African constitution, it means little if there are no consequences for violation. Industries need to comply,” said Johnston.

According to Johnston, poverty is the main driving force behind the illegal dumping that takes place in the river.

“People in informal settlements don’t have the facilities to throw their rubbish away, so those systems need to be put in place if we want to see any kind of change,” she said.

The dog carcass was found on Thursday.

Johnston says her team finds multiple carcasses every week.

The Hennops Revival aims to create jobs and alleviate property while cleaning up the river.

During their weekly clean-up projects, they particularly target the homeless and destitute living on the banks of the river.

Volunteer Tebogo Mohuba says he was living on the streets before Tarryn approached him and made him a regular member of her team.

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“It’s very nice to work with her, she’s a nice person and very laid back,” said Mohuba.

The NPO also promotes active citizenry where they encourage citizens to be more cognizant of the environment and work with the local municipalities to preserve the environment.

They have also explored citizen sciences and hosted workshops with the Centurion community to help them gain an understanding of the importance of protecting rivers and wetlands.

Cleaning the river is a massive and very time-consuming effort.

Hennops Revival has therefore divided its efforts into a three-phased litter catchment system.

The first phase targets large trees and large pieces of debris, the second phase catches trees and debris that made it past the first phase.

The third and final phase consists of a row of barrels laid across the river on a special release system which automatically releases once the water has reached a certain height to avoid damming.

“Our vision is to implement manageable responsible recycling points which are incentive-based to activate immediate action through reward.

“As well as composting sites and vegetable gardens where people can exchange their organic waste for food grown in the gardens,” said Johnston.

Johnston says time is running out to save the river and therefore encourages residents to pause and reflect before dumping and river, and get involved with them if they wish to.

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