The polluted Rietvleispruit, flowing into the Rietvlei Nature Reserve in the east of Pretoria, is a source of concern.
 
 A smell of raw sewerage hangs in the air and nowhere near is there any presence of wildlife. Beneath the foam, which is caused by pollution, flows a dark substance with an apparent oil base into the Rietvlei dam. Centurion News took a sample of the water for it to be analysed at an independent laboratory, however the outcome was not yet available at the time of going to the printers.
 
 The Rietvleispruit flows through the catchment area of Ekhurhuleni. Riaan Marais, reserve manager of the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, says the reserve is on the most northern border of the Ekhurhuhleni council. He did not want to comment on their management of this water resource. Marais says the pollution factor of any water resource usually becomes worse at this time of the year, since natural wetlands do not extract poisonous heavy minerals during winter.
 
 According to Marais, the land where the Rietvlei dam was built, was expropriated during the 1940's to conserve this area as one of the more important open water resources for Pretoria.
 
 The photographs were taken during mid August 2006

Morné Viljoen
Natural Resources Law Department
BDZ Attorneys
(W) (011) 886-4628
(F)  (011) 886-4452
(C)  083-395-3929