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@rekord.co.za 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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Crèches are now ready to fight fires
Crèches are now ready to fight fires Tshwane has delivered fire safety equipment, including serviced and upgraded extinguishers, hose reels and hydrants, to nine early childhood development centres in regions 3 and 6. This comes after a routine inspection by the DA caucus's Section 79 Community and Social Development oversight committee, chaired by Phuti Kwenaite. 'Recently, we pointed out there are maintenance elements that have been neglected in Tshwane's ECDs.' She said the fire extinguisher problem was supposed to be addressed two years ago. Kwenaite highlighted the significant risk posed when fire extinguishers are neither present nor functional. 'It is a big risk for the extinguishers not to be there and functioning. 'This is why the fire department took some time for some of these ECDs to open.' MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Kholofelo Morodi confirmed that Tshwane has completed the servicing and upgrading of fire-fighting equipment, with a sharp focus on ECD centres. She said the initiative, executed by Group Property Management, ensures full compliance with national safety standards, specifically SANS 10400 Part T (fire safety) and SANS 1475 (fire extinguishers). Marodi added that these mandate the installation, maintenance and servicing of portable fire suppression equipment. 'It includes the maintenance of fire extinguishers, hose reels, and hydrants and forms part of the city's annual fire safety programme.' She said these maintenance efforts signal a broader shift in Tshwane's multiparty coalition prioritising the safety of employees, children and communities. Marodi added that maintaining a safe workplace supports an efficient municipality and reflects Tshwane's commitment to this principle. 'Reinforcing Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards remains pivotal to protecting employees and service users. 'This intervention forms part of an ongoing effort to strengthen internal systems, promote compliance, and safeguard infrastructure, all aimed at delivering reliable and dignified services to residents.' ALSO READ: Mamelodi youth punches back at crime through boxing 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
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Runner tackles Comrades for charity
Among the thousands of athletes who competed at this year's Comrades Marathon was Richard le Roux, participating for his seventh time, all for a good cause. • Also read: Khosa Road Runners cross the finish line at the Comrades Dominique Tibbles, founder of Belly2Brain NPO, said that this year, Richard donned his running shoes and gave his heart and soul for a purpose – running to raise funds for the Belly2Brain annual Cage2Unchange Sandwich Day initiative, held from July 15 to 18 at Cradlestone Mall. During this time, I will be locked in a cage for 67 hours to raise funds for Belly2Brain, to feed 17 000 mouths on July 18,' she revealed. 'Richard became a Belly2Brain volunteer in August last year when we undertook a 5km silent walk against human trafficking. Richard and his son volunteered for the silent walk; since then, Richard and his wife have attended every Belly2Brain outreach, dedicating their time to support the cause – he even offered his 2025 Comrades achievement as a pay-per-km sponsorship for his run in aid of raising funds for the R104 000 budget to purchase the 2 500 loaves of bread, 500kg of peanut butter, and 1 000kg of jam,' she added. She confirmed that Richard successfully completed the race in 11 hours and 31 minutes, raising R11,400 towards the Cage2Unchange budget, which will cover half the bread required, marking a great start to the initiative. 'Belly2Brain is calling on all corporates who are required to fulfil their annual Corporate Social Investment (CSI) spend, as well as individuals, to partner with Belly2Brain and join in the noble effort of feeding 17 000 people this July. Belly2Brain is a registered S18A NPO. The beneficiaries who will collect sandwiches at the end of the spread on July 18 include Cradle of Hope, Hoërskool Nic Diedericks Feeding Programme, Wings of Inspiration, God's Love to Our World for Zandspruit, and Bethany House,' she said. Dominique concluded by urging volunteers to visit the cage between July 15 and 17 at Cradlestone Mall and to keep an eye on their social media pages to stay updated on events taking place around the cage, and to help spread the love on July 18 from 08:00 to 15:00. If you would like to learn more about this cause or wish to donate, call Dominique on 074 183 5929. 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
3 days ago
- 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
