Sewage is Wrecking South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, Ramaphosa Says
- Ramaphosa tells officials to fix Mogale City treatment plant
- Sewage also pollutes Vaal River system, Hartbeespoort Dam
Students outside the Maropeng exhibition center, located in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, in Gauteng Province, South Africa, on June 7, 2024.
Photographer: Zhang Yudong/Xinhua/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged officials to stop the flow of sewage that’s damaging a tourist site that has the largest concentration of ancient human fossils.
The collapse of infrastructure in Mogale City to the west of Johannesburg has seen the municipality release raw sewage into the Vaal River System, from which Johannesburg and other major cities draw the bulk of their supplies, according to News24, a South African news site. The effluent also flows into residential areas and the Hartbeespoort Dam. Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that the reports are accurate.