22 February 2023 Johannesburg: One of Johannesburg’s largest rivers, the Jukskei River, needs an urgent intervention to address the continual pollution that threatens it, and to make it safe and sustainable for over 700,000 dwellers in Alexandra and other surrounding communities.

Khulisa Social Solutions, a non-profit organisation (NPO) with over 25 years of empowering underprivileged South Africans to unlock their potential, hosted a workshop facilitated by Gillian Niven, Regulatory Lawyer specialising in environmental law at Allen & Overy, on the 15th February 2023. Information provided a high-level insight on the National Water Act, including the key principles, policies, institutions, and regulatory framework governing the management and use of raw water in South Africa.

According to Lesley Ann van Selm, Managing Director of Khulisa, “This workshop empowered those affected by the Jukskei River degradation alongside key insights on water governance within the South African context, and the number of relevant provisions in the National Water Act such as the general duty of care in relation to water resources and when authorisation to use water is required.”

The way forward, agreed upon by approximately 50 attendees, was to establish a core task team, comprising ten representatives with specialized areas of focus specific to environmental affairs. The representatives will be meeting within the next two weeks to investigate the causal factors of various sources of the Jukskei pollution, whereafter they will begin to engage with high-level stakeholders on remedial action to be taken.

The initiative will be spearheaded by Khulisa in collaboration with the Alexandra Water Sanitation and Environmental Community Forum.