UCT study accuses City of water pollution cover-up

THE City of Cape Town has come under fire after a study by UCT accused them of misrepresenting scientific evidence around urban water pollution and failing to address the ongoing contamination of rivers, wetlands, and coastal areas.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

The study, spanning over a decade of multidisciplinary research, points to political interference, denial, and selective use of data by municipal officials in managing the city's wastewater crisis.

"Our goal has been to bring evidence of contaminants to the attention of officials responsible for a clean environment," said lead author Professor Lesley Green, director of Environmental Humanities South at UCT.

The researchers documented 18 forms of science miscommunication, including the nondisclosure of test results and the use of selective data to reinforce political narratives.

The City was also criticised for presenting point-in-time water samples as definitive, despite constantly shifting environmental conditions.

"Instead of engaging with evidence, City officials have appropriated the authority of science for brand and political reputation management. Science is only authoritative to the extent that it is open to counter-evidence," Green said.