Polluted Spruit Runs through Kwa Thema

Sibusiso Buthelezi of Ekurhuleni Environmental org

The polluting spruit is in Kwa Thema in Ekurhuleni, east of Jo’burg in South Africa. The spruit runs from a Brakpan industrial area to Kwa-thema and its just open not fenced.

The spruit begins in Brakpan industrial area which the companies spill into it and pass through Wright Park, which again is polluted by a company called Vereeging and it flows to Kwa Thema. in Kwa Thema runs near Tlamoga college through to the Pulong High School and the spruit separates the informal settlement and the college, the people in the informal area still use this water not aware its toxic, children play in that water and when rains and floods the water get into informal settlement, houses smell very bad, the community dump in the spruit and cause a blockage and lot of rats.

As the spruit runs towards Rest in Peace section it pass through an open area where the community cross, children from and to school pass through, again children play the not knowing how dangerous the water is. Buluthando Park was built in Rest in Peace in memory of the 2 kids who passed away in that spruit in 2006 as the results spruit flooding. The spruit in this area is still dangerous because is not secured there are bridges for people to cross.

The spruit continues to areas in and around Kwa Thema where many improvement can be made that is putting guard rails, nets or anything that will help with safety in this regard, we as Ekurhuleni Environmental Organisation (EEO) tried to meet with the local government to discuss the matter even further but the local board meet once a month and we had been promised a meeting with them on the29th of May.

We (EEO) have been undertaking the bettering of our community by beginning with the small steps and work towards a better future not only for us but our future generations.