Years of unhindered raw sewage outflows have laid waste to rivers in the Cradle of Humankind, severely affecting tourism establishments in the area.
Despite intensive pressure from community organisations and civil society, and a call from President Cyril Ramaphosa last year for local government officials to urgently address the matter, little progress has been made in halting sewage flows from dysfunctional wastewater treatment facilities in the Mogale City Local Municipality.
“The situation is grave and has been so for quite a number of years,” said Trevor Brough, Director of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Association, who has spearheaded advocacy efforts in the region since 2019.
“There have been numerous reports of substantial amounts of money spent to rectify the problem but the reality at ground level is that the pollution levels in the rivers are unacceptably high and impacting on the ecology as well as tourism and the economy of the area.”
Affected rivers include the Blougat and Bloubankspruit, which run through numerous guest farms and popular attractions such as the NIROX Sculpture Park and conferencing facilities such as Nedbank’s Olwazini venue.
David Bain, Owner of Brookwood Trout Farm along the Bloubankspruit, which has been severely affected by untreated effluent from the Percy Stewart wastewater treatment works, said his fly-fishing business has been hit hard.
“We used to have an average of 100 to 150 visitors per day. Now we are fortunate to get 30. Trout are no longer able to survive, forcing us to stock hardier fish species such as carp,” said Bain.
“The stench of the rivers in the area gets so bad that, on several occasions, tourists at accommodation establishments have requested refunds and left before the end of their stays,” Brough added.
‘Dead rivers’
Brough said the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) classified the waterways as “dead rivers” after bacterial colonies placed within water samples were unable to survive.
In his own tests conducted in July, Brough found large amounts of E. coli and coliform bacteria in samples from various sites along the Blougat and Bloubankspruit rivers, indicating that the water is unsafe for human use.
Brough said contamination has also been found in the region’s UNESCO fossil hominid sites: Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, Makapan Valley and Taung Skull.
“We know that the groundwater in the area has been contaminated – based on testing by the CSIR of springs in the area as well as the lake in the Sterkfontein Caves.”
Other issues affecting tourism
Operators have identified additional issues hampering the Cradle of Humankind’s significant tourism potential, including poor road conditions and high crime levels.
“There’s a strong network of community groups here and crime definitely continues to pitch up as a problem with incidents of theft. The ongoing maintenance of roads in the area is another issue, particularly with regard to potholes,” said Andree Malan, Owner of The Cradle Concierge.
Brough said the Cradle of Humankind’s specific geology makes the area prone to sinkholes – an issue exacerbated by urbanisation. He said the R536 road, a key route leading to the Sterkfontein Caves and other attractions, is particularly badly impacted.
“There is currently a large sinkhole on the road, requiring a diversion of the road surface, and this is the fifth sinkhole along the R563 during the past few years,” he said.
Malan said, despite the challenges, the region is anticipating a surge in business from G20 delegates combined with an annual rebound of tourism during spring and summer.
