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The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s entity, the Green Scorpions mandated to maintain and preserve our environment is constantly failing to protect our wetlands from pollution.

The Bonaera Park Wetland in Kempton Park is one of many wetlands across the province that have been polluted by raw sewage due to an old sewer line.

The situation has gotten worse, and 90% of the wetlands in Ekurhuleni are under threat due to sewage spills. Work had started on installing a new sewer line, but the contractor has abandoned the site, and raw sewage is still flowing into this wetland. Residents are affected by the stench coming from the wetland.

In 2020, the Democratic Alliance (DA) wrote to the Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Morakane Mosupye, about the raw sewage spilling into the Bonaera Park wetlands. However, to date, nothing has been done to resolve the issue.

The Blesbokspruit River has also been polluted because of the current situation.

In a reply to the DA's written questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mbali Hlophe, the Green Scorpions have a total budget of R49 629 000 for the 2023/2024 financial year.

Despite executing several successful operations across the province that have resulted in arrests and fines being issued, it is worrying that our wetlands are still in such bad condition.

This wetland in Bonara Park used to be a major attraction in the area, with hundreds of flamingos frequenting the wetland and many faunal species. However, due to the current state of the wetlands, the flamingos and other fauna species have disappeared.

The DA will once again engage the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development on this matter and seek the Green Scorpion's immediate interventions to preserve our wetlands.

Issued by Jade Miller MPL - DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Development