- A broken sewerage system in Bophelong near the Vaal River in Gauteng, forces people to live “like pigs”, says environmental activist Lawrence Majoro.
- The department of water and sanitation acknowledges the Vaal is “one of the worst polluted rivers in South Africa”, leaving residents anxious about diseases like cholera.
- In this episode of our monthly television show, Health Beat, we take you to see the Emfuleni municipality in Vanderbijlpark’s rundown sewers. Mia Malan speaks to an infectious diseases expert and a water scientist to find out how bad things can get if water treatment services don’t improve.
Mia Malan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa. She has worked in newsrooms in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington, DC, winning more than 30 awards for her radio, print and television work.
As an SABC TV reporter in the Mandela years, Jessica Pitchford covered news events during one of the most exciting periods of South Africa’s history. She’s worked as a documentary producer for Special Assignment, story editor for current affairs shows Carte Blanche & Checkpoint, as head researcher for Netflix production ‘Senzo’ and has written five non-fiction books.
