Centurion Lake pollution remains a problem, with the court ordering that an intergovernmental task force must tackle the issue.
The ongoing saga over the smelly Centurion Lake once again came under the legal spotlight, with an intergovernmental task established to address the problem, while the court and the business owners of the Centurion Mall will be provided with quarterly progress reports.
Redefine Retail Ltd, owners of the mall, have turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, seeking supervisory orders compelling the metropolitan municipalities of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, and various state departments, to develop and implement an action plan to address the causes of pollution and rehabilitate impacted areas. The mall is situated adjacent to Centurion Lake.
The Hennops River was diverted from its natural course to develop the lake in the 1980s. The lake has become hazardous due to long-term and persistent pollution, with a pungent smell emanating from it. With this extraordinary pollution, the lake is unusable and life-threatening, with soil erosion and excessive silting occurring upstream in the Hennops River to the lake.
The impacted area is not only the lake but two tributaries, the Sesmylspruit and the Kaalspruit and Olifantspruit, that join to form the Hennops River. The Sesmylspruit is also impacted by discharges from the Hartbeesfontein Wastewater Treatment Works.
