Trash Trap: Activists and volunteers erect giant net to save Hennops River
The litter trap is seen over the river after being installed. Community members and volunteers will now maintain it and remove the trash collected there regularly to avoid more thrash flowing down the heavily polluted Hennops river, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
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Olievenhoutbosch residents returning home from work late on Tuesday afternoon were surprised to see a strange net being constructed over a section of the Rietspruit River that flows through the township and into the Hennops River.
The astonished locals gathered on the idyllic yet litter-strewn banks of the stream to witness a group of Fresh NGO volunteers erect a giant net across the river.
Some speculated that they were attempting to catch fish and informed them that the only fish they might find here were most probably Barbels, which aren’t good for eating.
Gareth Hansen, a Centurion local who volunteers to help clean the polluted Hennops River, quickly corrected them and explained that the net was a litter trap for catching trash that was most often disposed of into the river by residents. The trash eventually makes its way downstream and is seriously polluting the river and killing most of the life in and around it.
Of the group of volunteers, three of them are residents that decided to join in on the cleaning effort and construction of the litter trap.
“I live here in Olievenhoutbosch and can see the plastics floating down here every day, now we can catch it and help make this area better again,” said Karabo Shaku, a local volunteer.
Willem Snyman, CEO of the Fresh NGO and main driving force behind the #SaveTheHennops campaign hopes more locals will join in and benefit from these projects.
After being supplied with a container filled with old unused nets, he has taken it upon himself to set up and install litter traps all along the river, especially in nearby townships, where the dumping of trash and rubble is contributing to most of the dying river’s pollution.
In doing so, many of the locals that are often unemployed end up volunteering and eventually maintaining the litter traps. They are then able to gather the trash and plastics and sell it to earn some income.
“This is the third trap we are erecting, I really hope we can set up a few more before the rains and flooding comes,” Willem said while stretching the blue net over the black river waters.
The nets he and the volunteers are setting up along with the regular clean-up drives are making a visible difference to areas along the river but when the annual floods come down, the litter traps are the only thing preventing massive amounts of trash being pushed down the stream again for kilometres and all their work being undone.
Volunteers wash their hand in a puddle along the river after the litter trap net was installed, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Volunteers can be seen making some of the final adjustments in tightening the litter trap net, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Gareth Hansen can be seen making some of the final adjustments in tightening the litter trap net, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Cedric Peters (L) can be seen helping to stretch the net over the river. Cedric is a self-proclaimed adventurer that cycled from Pretoria to Israel over a two year period, he has also taken part in many nature conservation projects and after finding out about the save the Hennops campaign over Facebook he immediately joined them, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nellesmore
Gareth Hansen a Centurion resident can be seen helping in setting up the trash collecting net, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Gareth grew up in Centurion and remembers a time when the river was a beautiful place to enjoy nature, after seeing the pollution and damage done to the river over the years he volunteered to help clean and maintain it for the better of the community. Picture: Jacques Nellesmore
Simon Mahowa an Olievenhoutbosch local can be seen helping to set up the trash collecting net in Olievenhoutbosh, 22 October 2019, Pretoria. Simon had noticed the Fresh NGO members cleaning the river in his area regularly and decided to do his part in keeping it clean, he has vowed to help keep it clean for his community. Picture: Jacques Nellesmore
Constantine Gabriello a Malawian national that resides in Olievenhoutbosch can be seen helping to set up a trash collecting net in Olievenhoutbosh, 22 October 2019, Pretoria. Constantine volunteered to aid the Fresh NGO because he can see the river needs help and hopes to earn some income by maintaining the net and selling the plastics that will be caught in the net. Picture: Jacques Nellesmore
River clean-up volunteers can be seen setting up the trash collecting net in Olievenhoutbosh, 22 October 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
The river clean-up volunteers shared a watermelon while cleaning up and setting up a trash collecting net in Olievenhoutbosh, 22 October 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
An empty bottle is seen among other trash at the bottom of the river flowing through Olievenhoutbosch, 22 October 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Gareth Hansen a Centurion resident can be seen looking at the build-up of a black sludge at the bottom of the polluted river while the net is being set up, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nellesmore
Olievenhoutbosh locals, Simon Mahowa (L) and Malawian national Constantine Gabriello (R) standing over the net they are setting up across the river, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nellesmore
Cedric Peters (L) and Simon Mahowa (R) can be seen helping Fresh CEO Willem Snyman (C) stretch a net over the river, 22 October 2019, Olievenhoutbosch, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
An Olievenhoutbosch resident can be seen crossing a stream that flows into a section of the Rietspruit river that flows into the Hennops river, 22 October 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
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