This week, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng conducted an oversight inspection at the Jukskei River in Morninghill, Ekurhuleni, where it was discovered that huge amounts of raw sewage flow into the river. This poses a serious health risk to the residents in the area.
During the oversight inspection, we witnessed large amounts of sludge being churned up towards the weir, which flows down into the Jukskei River and through various suburbs of Ekurhuleni through to Alexandra.
This has been ongoing for a while. Despite utilising all available resources at her disposal, the local ward councillor, Jill Humphreys, has encountered difficulties in making any progress in resolving the situation.
This situation is of grave concern as it also interferes with the natural fauna and flora in the area.
While climate change also plays a role in the health of the natural fauna and flora in the area, the lack of proper maintenance of our waterways increases the risk for pollutants like raw sewage to damage the waterways.
Furthermore, naturally occurring species are also affected by this and are at risk of dying out.
The DA will write to the MEC for Environment Affairs, Shyla Peters, regarding this dire situation to find out why it has not been addressed.
A DA government will immediately provide support to municipalities to clean up their rivers and other waterways in the province.