Mogale City is pumping raw sewage into the environment, with severe contamination now affecting the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and surrounding areas, according to Trevor Brough, Director of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Association.
In a detailed briefing, Brough described the contamination as “extremely severe,” warning that many people do not understand the full extent of the problem. Raw sewage from the Percy Stewart facility is flowing directly into rivers that feed into the Cradle area. A significant volume of this river water enters the groundwater in the dolomite region, which features distinct water compartments. The sewage is entering the Swartkrans compartment, contaminating water sources in the area.
Brough highlighted the broader public health risks. “Anybody that does boil their water is getting contaminated,” he said. Downstream, farmers are using the polluted water to irrigate crops, leading to contaminated produce reaching shops and consumers. This consumption can cause illnesses, whose resulting waste returns to the system via Percy Stewart, perpetuating a “vicious circle” of disease. The problem potentially creates a “massive health problem” for communities near rivers flowing downstream to the Hartbeespoort Dam and further into the Crocodile catchment area. These waters eventually reach the Limpopo River, which flows through Mozambique and into the Indian Ocean.
The Cradle of Humankind remains an active research site for anthropologists and archaeologists from around the world. According to Brough, none of the sites have been closed and research continues. However, some archaeologists must cross contaminated rivers to access locations, raising concerns about potential long-term health effects. While Brough has not directly heard of specific illnesses among researchers, he noted that such issues may not always be publicly reported.
Tourism has been significantly impacted. Visitors staying in cottages near the rivers have complained about the overwhelming stench, particularly during temperature inversions that trap the smell close to the ground. Some tourists have demanded refunds and left as early as 6 or 7 p.m. because they could not tolerate the odour. Similar problems affect dining facilities, where the smell of raw sewage drifts into restaurant areas, making meals unpleasant and driving visitors away.
Brough left open a note of caution regarding key fossil sites, confirming that Australopithecus sediba locations appear safe for now, with hope that they remain protected.
The ongoing discharge from Percy Stewart continues to fuel the cycle of environmental and health risks until infrastructure repairs are completed.