Pollution chokes Rietvlei Dam

The pollution choking Pretoria's Rietvlei Dam is no sudden event but the predictable outcome of South Africa's collapsing wastewater system.

- Marizka Coetzer

Experts warn without proper funding, maintenance and oversight, rivers and critical water sources will continue to deteriorate, leaving municipalities scrambling for solutions.

DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the poor quality of the effluent discharged into the river remains a major cause of pollution of the Rietvlei Dam. He had visited the point where the Hartebeestfontein wastewater treatment plant in Ekurhuleni discharges effluent into the Rietvlei River.

“Since last year, the pollution of Rietvlei Dam has meant that Tshwane metro can no longer extract water from this abundant natural source for purification and distribution,” he said.