By Bennitt Bartl (Rekord Centurion), 30 September 2019
About 300 bags of rubbish were removed from the polluted waters of the Hennops River in Centurion at the weekend.
About 300 bags of rubbish were removed from the polluted waters of the Hennops River in Centurion at the weekend.
Hundreds of residents helped activists clean the banks of the river near the Hendrik Verwoerd Drive bridge.
“Around 50 children from nearby Diepsloot were also involved in the clean-up,” said organiser and Fresh.ngo director Willem Snyman.
“We had some great attendance on all three days again as we cleared the rubbish from under the bridge and the nearby park.
“Some people were amazed to find that there was a park located nearby as years of neglect meant there was an oasis next to the river that residents can now enjoy.”
READ MORE: Black sludge in canal near Hennops shocks
Snyman said the area underneath the bridge often dammed up as garbage and tree branches gathered underneath.
“We feel this entire area next to the river which is so neglected can become the jewel of Centurion.
“People can now go and visit the park and we are encouraging them to do so. The more the parks are used in the area the more the Tshwane metro will realise the need to clean and maintain them.”
Snyman once again highlighted the bad state of the river.
“During the clean-up, we removed several dead fish too,” he said.
Snyman agreed with many who believed the river’s problems originated from further upstream.
“The dumping of raw effluent in the river is something we are looking into and we are seriously considering court action on this,” he said.
“We feel those who dump in the river need to be held accountable.”