AfriForum had the sewage outlet in the Blesbokspruit in Springs tested on 19 October 2018 to ascertain the quality of the town’s sewage. AfriForum’s Springs branch conducted SANAS-accredited water tests after various community members continuously complained about the unbearable stench coming from the Blesbokspruit.
“We established that the sewage did not meet minimum requirements. Water tested positive for faecal coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrates and phosphates, of which the concentrations were not within set standards,” says Marie Naude, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the East Rand. AfriForum therefore sent a letter to the City Manager of the Ekurhuleni Metro Council in Springs on 29 October 2018 to demand that the problem be addressed within 48 hours.
“We will have to attend much more to sewage plants. We cannot allow unfit municipal officers to pollute our water resources and we plan on taking action,” says Cornel Swart, Chairperson of AfriForum’s Springs branch.
Residents of Springs are requested to give AfriForum the mandate to continuously monitor water quality. SMS ‘Springs’ to 45342 (R1) to support this action.