Masses of fish dead – again!

23/10/2025News

Masses of fish died on the eastern shore of Hartbeespoort Dam again over the weekend.

Masses of fish died at Venice Village.

“We woke up on Saturday morning to hundreds of dead and dying fish at Venice Village. People carried wheelbarrows full of dead fish from the canals, and a back actor had to be used to bury the dead fish,” Grant Taylor, a resident of Venice Village, said. “We tried some aeration, and it seemed to have helped some fish. We want to know if any water tests are done to test the quality of the water. Something is killing the fish,” he said.
Raw sewage has been streaming into this area of the dam via the Swartspruit for the past month after the Ifafi pump station broke down.
According to Madibeng ward councillor Graeme Peplar, he had asked Magalies Water, which was appointed for the Hartbeespoort remediation project, for water test results, but I have had no feedback. I have also requested an urgent oversight visit by the Department of Water and Sanitation. Sewage is streaming into the dam all over,” he said.
“What residents don’t realise is that sewage spillages are Hartbeespoort’s biggest crisis at the moment. Something has to be done urgently.”
After alerting Magalies Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation about the fish deaths, Kormorant learned that representatives of both would visit the area this week. Residents were asked to keep dead fish until the visit, presumably for testing.

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