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The Citizen
18-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Centurion's Hennops River clean-up gains momentum
Volunteers have removed six tons of waste from the Hennops River as part of a growing community effort to restore the heavily polluted waterway. Tons of effort has been put into cleaning up the Hennops River in Centurion following flooding earlier this year that resulted in an influx of soil and waste, severely polluting the surrounding area. Most recently, more than 100 volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God cleared six tons of waste along the river as part of their ongoing Erasing Plastic Footprints campaign. Ongoing volunteer work makes impact Hennops River Revival founder Tarryn Johnston, who has been working along the river for almost a decade, said though the river was in a bad state, every little bit has helped. 'It does make a huge difference and what I love is how adventurous it gets, building bridges to cross the river,' she said. Clean-up efforts gather momentum Last month, volunteers from the Nimbostratus, the Aaptwak, and the Hennops River Revival Foundations removed 1 292 bags of waste from the river and its surrounding areas over two days. Although local ward councillor Gert Visser expressed his appreciation, he said it was not a simple quick fix. ALSO READ: Gauteng mayors unite to tackle toxic rivers 'Industries dumping, businesses dumping and the waste of the informal settlements not being collected by the municipalities and this ends up in the river. Health risk 'One of the consequences is that the river has this stench and puts people's health at risk,' he said. Visser said the clean-up was also about creating awareness about the use and disposal of plastics. Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim, of the Church of God General, said the Erasing Plastic Footprints campaign was launched in 2024 to mark the 60th anniversary of the church's establishment. He said it also forms part of the worldwide hope challenge which includes blood donation, tree planting, assistance for underprivileged neighbours, invasive plant removal and beach clean-ups. NOW READ: Bodies believed to be of three missing police officers recovered at Hennops River
The Citizen
17-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Volunteers clean up tons of waste from polluted river
In a show of community spirit and environmental dedication, around 100 volunteers gathered on June 15 to clean up a heavily polluted stretch of the Hennops River. Recent flooding brought debris, plastic, and waste into the waterway. The clean-up was spearheaded by the World Mission Society Church of God as part of its ongoing global initiative, the 'Erasing Plastic Footprints' campaign. Recent flooding in Gauteng had caused the Hennops River to overflow, inundating the riverbanks with waste swept in from nearby residential areas and commercial zones. Plastic bottles, timber, clothing, and debris were found strewn across a 1.5km section of the river in Centurion. Donning bright yellow vests, volunteers comprising members of the church, their families, and residents from Centurion, Soshanguve, and Hammanskraal set out early in the morning on the public holiday. In just two hours, they managed to collect a staggering amount of trash equivalent to one 6-ton truckload, painstakingly separating recyclable materials and retrieving deeply buried plastics from the soil. The metro supported the effort by supplying bin bags, cleaning tools, and bottled water. Local political figures praised the initiative, including Leanne de Jager, a DA member of the Provincial Legislature. 'We are very grateful to them for their continued efforts and for trying to remove plastics from nature and communities by 2040. We are also grateful to all the volunteers who give up their time for this mission and always, never without fail, arrive in their numbers.' DA councillor Gert Visser echoed the concerns about the root causes of pollution in the area, specifying industries' and businesses' dumping, and waste from the informal settlements not being collected by the municipalities. 'All of this ends up in the river. One of the consequences is that the river has developed a stench, and it affects the health of many people in the area. It's not a simple, quick fix. So we are here to create awareness and also to ask residents to not use plastic but recyclable materials.' As part of a month-long global campaign to commemorate World Environment Day (June 5), this clean-up in Gauteng stands as a powerful example of what co-ordinated, grassroots action can achieve. Among the volunteers was Baby Makgoba, who diligently sorted plastic waste. 'We truly hope that we will contribute to making a better future for all,' said Makgoba. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Millions needed to fix Tshwane sinkholes
Dolomitic soil and record rainfall have left Centurion with recurring sinkholes, while city-wide potholes remain unrepaired due to asphalt shortages and lack of funds. It will cost the City of Tshwane millions of rands that it doesn't have to fix roads across the city riddled with potholes and sinkholes that form overnight and are often left months or years unrepaired, says a city councillor. DA ward 65 councillor Gert Visser said not only did Centurion have the most sinkholes, but new ones were forming every other month due to it being a dolomitic area. Centurion potholes Visser said since January Irene, within the Centurion region, had experienced the highest rainfall in 22 years. The rain resulted in more potholes. 'Residents' reports were escalated and recently roads were repaired in Rooihuiskraal, Louwlardia, Highveld and Irene. 'These potholes could have been repaired in a shorter time period, but that did not happen as hot asphalt and bitumen were not in supply due to operational and procurement issues, which are unacceptable,' he said. ALSO READ: WATCH: In lockdown with no water or electricity … thanks to a sinkhole At least R720 million needed Visser said the most prominent sinkholes in Alexandria Road, Irene and John Vorster Avenue, Highveld would not be rehabilitated soon due to budget constraints. 'To rehabilitate all the sinkholes, in the City of Tshwane, being 60 to 70, will cost at least R720 million while the current budget is R14 million,' he said. 'The solution is public-private partnerships in the interim while parliament considers policy and a new legislation,' he said. Repairs needed in Hammanskraal Meanwhile, Apies Rivier Noord Gemeenskap Forum chair Johan Loots has also written to the City of Tshwane seeking help with the conditions of the roads in the Hammanskraal area. Loots said among the problematic roads were Apies River Road, Coin Road, Tambotie Road and Juliet Street, and repairing them would help boost service delivery. NOW READ: Tshwane under pressure as residents complain about water outages, power and potholes
