Introduction
The residents of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COHWHS) and its immediate surrounds wish to make the general public aware of the poor situation in the area due to the pollution issues and possible human rights violations.
Impact of Pollution
This pollution has an impact not only on the immediate area but possibly a greater impact on South Africa as the pollution would impact on human health, agriculture, and tourism along all the water courses which are polluted. One needs to include the potential impact of agricultural products irrigated by the polluted water and consumed by humans as well.
River Pollution and Catchment Area
The rivers flowing through the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site are heavily polluted by two primary sources of toxic material. The rivers in the COHWHS form part of the Crocodile River catchment area. The Crocodile River is a tributary of the Limpopo River which flows in an easterly direction along the border of South Africa and Botswana, and then the border with Zimbabwe before flowing through Mozambique and discharging into the Indian Ocean north of Maputo.
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)
Firstly, there is the mine-impacted water (Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)) which is decanting from the Western Basin in Gauteng. There is an attempt by the Department of Water and Sanitation to keep the underground levels well below the surface through pumping. The extracted water is partially treated by adding chemicals (mostly lime) to neutralize the high acidity of the water to achieve a more neutral pH but none of the various elements in the water are actively being removed except through a sedimentary process. This results in various chemical elements and metals remaining suspended in the water. This has been proven by the testing of water in the Krugersdorp game reserve and has been reported in the media a number of times over the years. The treatment plant is being operated by the Trans Caledonia Tunnel Authority.
Flow of Polluted Water
The partially treated water flows into the Tweelopies Spruit, through the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, and confluences with the Riet Spruit which flows into the core of the COHWHS. The Riet Spruit originates in the Randfontein area and at times has sewage in it from the Randfontein Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTWs) in Randfontein. There are three primary sources of mine-impacted water in Gauteng known as the Eastern, Central, and Western basins. Water from the Eastern and Central basins flow south while the Western basin flows north.
Waste Water Treatment Issues
Secondly, in a North Eastern direction from the Western Basin is another serious source of pollution of the COHWHS, namely the Percy Stewart Waste Water Treatment Works. Over time this facility releases partially treated or at times untreated sewage into the Blougat Spruit. The infrastructure around the WWTWs is, for want of a better description, busy failing and at times the main sewer pipeline overflows, releasing raw sewage into the Blougat Spruit. The Blougat Spruit has a confluence with the Riet Spruit at the border of the core of the COHWHS. This means that the rivers flowing through the COHWHS are carrying a mix of raw sewage and AMD. The Riet has a confluence with the Blaawbank Spruit (also spelled Bloubank Spruit) in the core of the COHWHS. The Blaawbank Spruit is a tributary of the Crocodile River.
Geological Concerns
A big issue is that the area is underpinned by dolomite and in the COHWHS there are a number of compartments containing groundwater. The document “The Karst System of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site” goes into the details of the geology of the area. Link
Dependency on Groundwater
Most of the residents in the area are dependent on groundwater for their survival, be that drinking or other purposes such as irrigation. The report done by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 2013 gives an indication of the hydrology of the area and the impact surface water has on groundwater. Link
Analysis of Water Quality
An analysis of some parameters in the Sterkfontein Caves by the CSIR in September 2017 shows an increase in conductivity as well as an increase in sulphate concentration, indicating a possible trend of poorer water quality over time. Link
UNESCO's Involvement
UNESCO has raised the issue with the South African authorities over a number of years, and in their State of Conservation report, there are more details of the factors affecting the COHWHS site. Link
Activities in the COHWHS Area
Along the rivers flowing through the COHWHS area, there are a number of different activities ranging from:
- Some archaeological sites/digs
- Tourism facilities ranging from restaurants, hotels, accommodation, and wedding venues
- Agriculture
- Art and sculpture exhibitions
- Residences
Reporting and Complaints on Pollution
Over a number of years, the issue of especially sewage pollution of the rivers has been reported to a number of bodies in South Africa in an attempt to get the issue rectified, but without any success to date. If anything, the complaints seem to be ignored as the situation has been consistently deteriorating (documents below).
- Below is an acknowledgement from the Mogale Municipality in 2019 regarding a complaint of pollution in the Bloubank Spruit. “20190724093751138-Polution_complaint-Mogale.pdf”
- A complaint was also lodged with the Department of Environmental Affairs on the 30th July 2020 at envirocrime@envirocrime.gov.za, and a case number ENV8733 was issued on the 24th May 2021.
- On the 6th August 2021, a complaint was lodged with the South African Human Rights Commission; reference number GP/2122/0109/BJ/Zmbek.
- A political party, the Freedom Front Plus, has also lodged a complaint: Link
- There have been Parliamentary questions raised regarding Percy Stewart Waste Water Treatment Works going back to 2008.
Communications and Media Coverage
Over time, there has been a number of e-mail and telephonic communications with various parties in authority at local, provincial, and national levels but no success to date. These complaints have been made by a number of the residents in the area over time.
There have also been a number of media articles highlighting the issues as follows: Links to media reports (a few of the relevant ones):
- Sewage threatens World Heritage Site. Link
- Krugersdorp News on raw sewage. Link
- Residents fear sinkholes and contamination. Link
- Acid Mine Drainage in Witwatersrand Goldfields. Link
- Bizcommunity article on pollution. Link
- The issue was the subject of a Devi show titled “The Cradle Under Threat” broadcast on the 24th September 2023. Link
Ongoing Monitoring and Reports
Since July 2019, there has been almost a weekly photographic and comment record of the situation in the area (documents below).
- During 2019, we had a number of water samples collected in the area and tested. The results were analyzed by a hydrologist who did a detailed report. The analysis was done according to the test results of the 8th August 2019. A second set of samples were tested, and the results are dated 10th October 2019.
- “AED_Comments_CoH_river_water_samples_09-08-2019.pdf”
- “Analyses_Results-20190808.pdf”
- “Analyses_Results-20191010.pdf”
- On the 12th August 2021, a tour was conducted of the pollution sources affecting the COHWHS, and a report was compiled to record the observations at that date. “Cradle_Catchment_Tour_12_August_2021.pdf”
- On the 2nd June 2023, a report was compiled regarding the status of the sewage pollution specifically around the Percy Stewart WWTWs. “Percy_Stewart_2023-06-02.pdf”
Long-Term Impact Concerns
At this time, there are indications that the mine-impacted water and sewage pollution are having an impact, but of greater concern would be the longer-term impact of this sewage and mine-impacted water mix on humans and the environment.
Photo Blog
Photographic history of the ongoing pollution of the rivers in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site. Link