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In early February, AfriForum, together with several other organisations, businesses and community members, removed more than 1 623 tonnes of water lettuce from the Vaal River. Photo: AfriForum
BILL HARDING

Spraying toxic herbicide on Vaal River to rid it of water lettuce ‘is criminal’

Water specialists have said the use of glyphosate is in contravention of the National Water Act and is a risk for humans and toxic for aquatic life

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Highly polluted reservoirs in Gauteng and the North West, including Hartbeespoort Dam, should be fenced off because of the health risks they pose to people and animals from blooms of toxic cyanobacteria. Photo: Getty Images
BILL HARDING

Seal off polluted dams to protect public health, says water expert

About 80% of the country’s dams are so enriched with nutrients they could produce toxic algal blooms

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
An employee with the City of Tshwane collects a sample of water from a municipal tank truck in Hammanskraal on May 23, 2023, where a cholera outbreak, including surrounding areas, killed 31 people. (Photo by MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images)
BILL HARDING

SA water woes must not be ‘exaggerated’, says Mchunu

The minister is adamant the country is not experiencing a crisis, despite about half the water in our systems being unsafe for drinking

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Artificial lakes like Hartbeespoort must be treated and managed as semi-natural lake ecosystems to keep them healthy and support demands made on them such as raw potable water and recreational use. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
BILL HARDING

SA rivers, dams, used as waste disposal systems, says ecologist

The nutrient enrichment problem can’t be solved unless appropriate levels of wastewater treatment are applied

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read