Zainul Dawood|Published
Over several years of trial and error, Willem Snyman’s litter traps in the Kaalspruit in Olifantsfontein, Ekurhuleni, have been given the recognition they deserve on Tuesday.
The Kaalspruit runs through Tembisa, with most of the plastic pollution accumulating at Olifantsfontein. It then feeds into the Hennops River, which flows into the Crocodile River and into Hartbeespoort Dam, and eventually the Limpopo River.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), once plastic spreads downstream, it is almost impossible to recover. Catching it close to the source is their best chance, particularly when it rains.
Dr Jack Bloom, Deputy Minister of DWS, joined residents and volunteers in cleaning up the river and officially unveiling the litter traps. Bloom described them as an innovative set of litter traps on the Kaalspruit. These litter traps were set up by Snyman, an inspirational artist and activist who founded Fountain River Environmental Sanctuary Hennops (Fresh NGO).
Traps intercept waste before it spreads downstream
According to DWS, Willem has installed eight polystyrene traps and seven lines of plastic-bag traps across the river and canyon. Most are suspended from 100-metre cables and stretch over 800 metres.
“He has paid for much of this himself, and the project employs people from the surrounding community to clear the traps. They catch an enormous amount of waste. On some days, Willem’s team has filled a 30-cubic metre skip, mostly with polystyrene left behind by recyclers, as well as illegally dumped building rubble,” Bloom said.
He said it is not just litter that is dumped here. Bloom was concerned that serial murders of young women had taken place near here, and the body of one of the victims was found entangled in one of these litter traps.
“Willem sees a symbolic link in the abuse of this river and the terrible abuse of women. He is working on a memorial park to those who were murdered. We need to cleanse this river, and we need to cleanse society of the evil of gender-based violence,” Bloom said.
Project relies on community volunteers
He said these traps are on municipal land with the City of Ekurhuleni’s approval. Bloom commended this partnership. Bloom said a litter trap only works, however, if someone empties it. Once a trap is full, it can overflow or block, so Fresh NGO needs volunteers and partners to keep the traps clear.
“I call on residents, schools, businesses, and estate agencies in the area to adopt a trap or join the volunteers keeping the Kaalspruit clean. Use the bins, don’t dump, and report illegal dumping to the City. We must all be part of the solution to cleaning up our precious rivers,” Bloom added.
Bloom was joined in the clean-up by Snyman and the Fresh NGO team, volunteers from the Clean Environment and Clean South Africa NPOs, Ekurhuleni staff, and residents.
“It is said that you eat an elephant one bite at a time – this is what we need to do with our polluted rivers, one section at a time, stopping the pollution at its source,” Bloom said.
zainul.dawood@iol.co.za
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