FRESH volunteers at the Kaalspruit litter trap upstream of Hartbeespoort Dam.

Residents and conservationists are invited to join FRESH (Fountains & Rivers Earth Sanctuary Hennops) in a clean-up on Sunday, 15 September, on the banks and shoreline of Hartbeespoort Dam near the inlet of the Crocodile River.
FRESH is an environmental NPO focused on cleaning rivers. “Our goal is to keep plastic waste and sewage pollution out of our fresh water, which eventually ends up in our oceans.
We hope to clean a large area of the Hartbeespoort Dam front, removing plastic as well as hyacinth with nets waders and boats. The clean-up links with World Cleanup Day later this month,” said Willem Snyman of FRESH.
“FRESH’s focus is on the Hennops River and its main tributary the Kaalspruit – our country’s most polluted river. We have installed several litter traps in the Olifantsfontein wetland over the last five years, and we’ve been able to make the biggest impact. This is the major pollution source for the Hartbeespoort Dam, Crocodile and Limpopo Rivers.”
Fresh is based in the Crocodile River Reserve (CRR) and was founded eight years ago in response to extreme water pollution in the Hennops River.
“Forced to fight back and try to save our fragile ecosystems, we worked our way upriver, organising numerous community clean-ups, in collaboration with many groups, to raise awareness. We alternated between the lower river near Centurion and at the source around Kaalfontein. We’ve removed nearly a million cubes of plastic and polystyrene from the Hennops River mostly at the source,” he said.
The clean-up on Sunday will focus on the shoreline near the inlet of the Crocodile River in the area of Eagle Waters. For more information, and to join the clean-up, contact 082 395 3312.