Ekurhuleni and Joburg join forces to tackle Kaalspruit River pollution
Downstream waste accumulation in Centurion prompts multi-metro collaboration after early seasonal rains wash debris into the Hennops River system.
The City of Ekurhuleni has partnered with the City of Johannesburg to align efforts to clean up the heavily urbanised Kaalspruit catchment.
The update follows debris accumulation in the Hennops River in Centurion following recent spring rains. The City of Tshwane identified the Kaalspruit catchment in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni as a primary source of waste entering the downstream river system.
Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the metro is aware of pollution levels in the Kaalspruit and its catchment. According to Dlamini, sewer pollution and general waste are the primary sources, alongside occasional industrial discharge incidents.
Photo: Supplied
Litter traps deployed
Dlamini said the city runs clean-up campaigns as needed, including one in June.
He added that litter traps were installed along parts of the river to prevent waste from entering the waterway, while the metro also supports local non-governmental organisations involved in river clean-ups and litter removal.
Dlamini confirmed the metro is partnering with the City of Johannesburg to align activities and consolidate efforts to improve the health of the Kaalspruit.
The Kaalspruit forms part of a wider river system crossing municipal boundaries before contributing to pollution downstream, including the Hennops River in Centurion.
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo previously said much of the waste reaching the Hennops originates outside Tshwane. He explained that waste accumulates because large volumes of debris originate outside the city’s jurisdiction.
Photo: Supplied
Infrastructure captures debris
The metro has installed debris traps about 300m downstream of the confluence of the Olifantspruit and Sesmylspruit, where the Hennops begins.
Mashigo said the infrastructure can capture and divert about 70% of incoming debris, although lightweight material such as polystyrene remains difficult to contain.
The city removes waste captured by the traps, bags it and transports it to a licensed landfill site, according to Mashigo.
However, the flow of waste from upstream areas continues, particularly during the rainy season when material accumulated at illegal dumping sites in the Kaalspruit catchment washes downstream.
Mashigo noted that waste visible in the Hennops after initial spring rains is typical following months of accumulation during the dry winter period.
Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said the city is aware of pollution challenges across the Kaalspruit catchment and surrounding waterways, with officials conducting site visits and responding to community complaints.
Modingoane identified builders’ rubble, informal settlement encroachment into sewer infrastructure, sewer misuse, illegal dumping and illegal sand mining as contributors to pollution.
Water quality monitoring
Modingoane said the city monitors water quality monthly, with results indicating an elevated microbial load and nutrients like phosphate and nitrates. He said these results clearly show pollution from sewers and poor sanitation.
He added that an intergovernmental task team formed by Johannesburg with the Tshwane and Ekurhuleni metros has begun independent sampling to better characterise the pollution problem.
The three metros continue to address pollution at different points of the interconnected river system.
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