R30M old age home remains empty
The R30-million facility was built in 2012, and started operating two years later.
And when it closed in 2019, almost 60 elderly residents were left without care, and its staff was left in limbo.
Today, it stands empty, with the elderly around it, suffering.
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The Citizen
9 hours ago
- The Citizen
Plans to replace pipes to address water woes in Waterkloof
Waterkloof residents may soon see relief from recurring water pipe bursts as the Tshwane metro rolls out plans to replace sections of the suburb's ageing infrastructure. The metro has confirmed that critical worn-out pipelines in Region 3, which includes Waterkloof and Ward 82, will be upgraded in the 2025/26 financial year. This comes after years of complaints from residents and a formal petition that was submitted to the metro earlier this year. The issue stems from old asbestos cement pipes that have long passed their lifespan, resulting in frequent bursts and water outages. Ward 82 councillor, Siobhan Muller, said she was encouraged by the metro's response to concerns raised by residents. 'The department has investigated the matter and provided a report to be tabled before the Petitions Committee within 90 days,' Muller confirmed. She noted that although the department did not respond within the timeframe stipulated in the Petitions By-Law, she was pleased that attention was now being given to Waterkloof. 'I am pleased to see attention is being paid to Waterkloof. Would this be the extent of the project? I really do think that Julius Jeppe [Street] should be included. It is suffering significant leaks on a daily basis,' she said. 'I've lost count of how many times the pipes had to be repaired, specifically on Julius Jeppe between Heloma and Dely,' she added. Muller explained that repairs often require shutting off water to the entire Waterkloof area, which has a wide-reaching impact on households and businesses. She suggested that even if full replacement was not possible, a strategically placed valve could allow smaller sections to be isolated during repairs, minimising disruption. According to Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, a portion of the 2025/26 budget will be dedicated to water infrastructure upgrades in Region 3. 'The following work is planned to be carried out in Region 3 in the 2025/26 financial year: completion of the scope of work in Waverley, which commenced in the 2024/25 financial year, with a budgeted amount of R6-million,' Mashigo said. He added that the remaining budget of R15.8-million will be used to replace about 3.5km of critical worn-out pipelines in new work package allocations. Mashigo said this will include: – Victoria Street, Waterkloof (Ward 82) – 243m costing R1.1-million – Victoria Street, Waterkloof (Ward 42) – 1.2km at R5.36-million – Other suburbs in Region 3 – 2km at R9.36-million. He acknowledged that budget constraints mean the city cannot replace entire networks in every suburb at once. 'The approved budget for Region 3 in the 2025/26 financial year is R21.9-million. There is not sufficient budget to replace the entire network per suburb. 'Since the 2023/24 financial year, only selective or critical worn-out pipelines with the highest priority for replacement per region are being replaced, ' he said. Mashigo said that they aimed to reduce water loss in the city, by targeting the most problematic pipelines first. He added that problematic pipelines exist in other parts of Region 3, not only in Waterkloof and Ward 82. The metro's water and sanitation department acknowledged the challenges experienced in Ward 82 due to aged pipes. Mashigo said the replacement of water infrastructure is part of a phased approach, and is prioritised based on a pipe replacement potential (PRP) ranking system. 'The attached raw PRP data is dated December 2022 and reflects all pipe replacement work that has been done in Ward 82 over the past few years,' he said. The metro confirmed that the replacement of critical worn-out pipelines in Waterkloof (Wards 42 and 82) will begin on August 15, with work scheduled for completion by January 30, 2026. Mashigo said a robust maintenance plan will remain in place to address outages and leaks until the water infrastructure components are replaced. He added that if additional funds became available, the metro would consider expanding the current project scope based on the priority list of critical pipelines. 'Should additional budget be made available, the priority list of critical worn-out water network pipelines will be followed, regardless of which suburb, region or area,' Mashigo said. On April 29, the Office of the Speaker referred petition 314, which regards Ward 82's water infrastructure, to the water and sanitation department, and asked for feedback within 14 days. Mashigo confirmed that the Office of the Speaker has communicated back to petitioners through their respective ward councillors. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- The Citizen
PowerBall Excitement: R60 Million Up for Grabs
A life-changing R2-million jackpot is still unclaimed The National Lottery aims to create new millionaires through the PowerBall and PowerBall Plus draws on Tuesday night. The total value of the estimated jackpot sits at R49 million. The draw takes place just after 9 pm. PowerBall and PowerBall Plus estimated jackpots: PowerBall: R56 million PowerBall Plus: R4 million The previous PowerBall draw did not produce any new millionaires. Ithuba is still looking for the winner of the unclaimed R2 284 810. This amount was won on 12 November 2024 and the ticket was purchased in Mayfield, Johannesburg. The ticket expires on 12 November 2025. ALSO READ: PowerBall and PowerBall Plus results: Friday, 4 July 2025 How to play PowerBall? To play Powerball, a player chooses five numbers between 1 and 50, followed by a PowerBall number between 1 and 20. The system also provides a quick pick selection method where it randomly chooses all the numbers on your behalf. PowerBall tickets are available on selected banking apps; terms and conditions apply. Tickets are available for purchase until 8.30pm on draw days (Tuesday and Friday). Tickets can also be purchased on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The national lottery also gives you a chance to win money every day from the daily lotto. The draw takes place every evening just after 9.30pm. Tickets for the Daily Lotto can be bought every day until 8.30pm. How to play Daily Lotto in SA? If you are buying a ticket in-store: Pick up a bet slip in any lottery store. Choose five numbers between 1 and 36 or ask for a Quick Pick. Entries cost R3 each. You can play a max of R150, but you are allowed to play multiple boards. Select how many consecutive draws you wish to enter, up to a maximum of 10. Leave blank for a single draw. Take your bet slip to the teller to pay for your ticket. Write your details on the back of your ticket in case you need to claim a prize. If you do not sign your ticket and it is lost, anyone can use it to claim the prize. READ MORE: Daily Lotto results: Monday, 7 July 2025 If you are playing online: Set up a lottery account here and make a deposit to pay for tickets. Choose five numbers from 1 to 36 or select 'Quick Pick' to generate a random set. Repeat this on as many boards as you want to play. Decide whether to enter a single draw or multiple draws. Confirm and pay for your entry. What happens after winning? Winners receive an SMS from their respective banks with a reference number and further instructions on the documents they should bring when visiting Ithuba. When a player wins less than R250 000, they get their money directly deposited into their bank account if they had used a banking app to play. For the winners who win more than R250 000, they get referred to the lottery operator, Ithuba, for a payout. Free financial and trauma counselling is given to all winners who win above R50 000, tax-free. Players must be at least 18 years old to participate.
Daily Maverick
07-07-2025
- Daily Maverick
How local litter traps are making a splash against pollution in SA
At the Soet River in Strand, Cape Town, the water is choked with waste. Plastic bags, bottles and discarded nappies form a thick, stagnant carpet. This is just one site on the frontline of South Africa's battle against plastic pollution. Now, a simple but powerful innovation is turning the tide: the litter trap. At their core, litter traps, ranging from floating litter booms to steel cages and grids, are simple. They are designed to capture floating waste, such as plastic bags, nappies, bottles, cans, domestic refuse, and even larger items such as tyres and mattresses, before it can escape downstream into larger bodies of water and, ultimately, the ocean. Across South Africa, litter traps have proven highly effective in intercepting tonnes of waste. They offer a beacon of hope, but these systems are not without limitations and require a multifaceted approach, including community engagement and sustainable waste management, to reach their scalable potential. An upstream battle against a downstream crisis Rising urbanisation and illegal dumping are overwhelming South Africa's waterways, creating a direct pipeline of pollution to the ocean. The logic, as championed by organisations like The Litterboom Project (TLP), is: why spend all our energy on beach clean-ups when 80% of ocean plastic originates from rivers? They believe that intercepting it upstream is the key. Litter traps are locally adapted systems designed for this purpose. They range from floating booms made of durable HDPE piping that guide waste to a collection point for recycling, to heavy-duty steel cages and grids that capture larger items. Since 2017, TLP has installed these systems in key rivers across KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, including at Cape Town's heavily polluted Black, Big Lotus and Little Lotus rivers. The results are staggering. Total waste intercepted by TLP since 2017 is more than 2.5 million kilograms; From January to June 2025 alone, TLP removed more than 288 tonnes of waste nationally, including 28 tonnes of recyclables; In just six months (January to June 2025), the two litter traps, augmented by litter booms, on the Big and Little Lotus rivers along the Zeekoevlei Catchment collected 7,322 bags of litter, weighing nearly 70 metric tonnes; and In its first two weeks of operation at the Soet River, a new litter cage captured about 700 bags of waste, plus tonnes of tyres, car parts and building materials. 'On average, we intercept approximately 50 tonnes of waste per month nationally… These passive, low-maintenance systems move naturally with the river's current, harnessing the flow to consistently intercept macroplastic pollution,' Megan Swart, TLP's project manager in Cape Town, told Daily Maverick. A coalition of the willing This success is not the work of one group, but a collaboration between government, NGOs and residents. The City of Cape Town, which spends up to R2.6-million annually on cleaning the Soet River alone, has embraced this multipronged approach. 'Chronic waste pollution due to rapid informality is choking the Soet River,' which was not good for residents and the environment, said mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien. He confirmed that the City, spurred by the Soet River Catchment Management Forum, has installed a series of four interceptors along this river and plans to add more. 'Being a heavily polluted river, the Soet River was fitted with four litter interceptors – a litter cage, two litter booms and a grid. More litter interceptors will be installed in the new financial year,' Badroodien said. At the litter traps along the Soet River in Strand, Cape Town, Daily Maverick saw first-hand the mass of waste polluting the waterway at various points while teams were clearing the newly erected litter cage. Lisa Starr, founder of the Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement and a member of the Soet River Forum, told Daily Maverick that the litter traps along the Soet River had only been in action for two weeks but so far about 800 bags, as well as tonnes of tyres, car parts, TVs, building materials, a shopping trolley and more, had been removed from the cage bars. Badroodien said the City has put together an action plan which will be implemented over time to help tackle the challenge of the Soet River. This aims to augment City inventions that are already in place, as currently, the City spends between R1.5-million and R2.6-million each year on continuous cleaning efforts. But while it visually improves for a short while, Badroodien said this was not sustainable because the illegal dumping continues, which also doesn't improve the water quality in the river. 'As we work towards putting this multipronged plan into action, we need residents to please join hands with us and put their waste in the right place, using the solid waste services provided,' Badroodien added. Community groups are the vital eyes and ears on the ground. Sidney Jacobs, chair of the Friends of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei (FoZR), said these traps were 'very effective as long as they were cleaned regularly'. The litter traps at the Big and Little Lotus rivers are cleaned on average twice a week, and since January 2025 until 20 June, Jacobs said a total of 7,322 bags of litter weighing more than 69.8 tonnes had been taken out and carted off to landfill by partners including the City of Cape Town. With inputs from most of the role players in the Zeekoevlei catchment area and with the Zeekoevlei Catchment Forum, Jacobs said the City was in the process of installing four more litter booms and fences further up the canals to take out the trapped litter before it reaches Zeekoevlei. These catchment management forums, according to FoZR deputy chair Tom Schwerdtfeger, were game-changers. 'For years, we fought an uphill battle,' he said. 'Since its inception in 2024, our forum has worked with the City… We are starting to see a noticeable reduction in the amount of solid waste reaching our Ramsar site, which is really encouraging,' said Schwerdtfeger The devastating impact and the call for community action The effect on the marine and natural environment from this waste in rivers is tragic. 'We have marine life eating our waste. Birds peck and eat polystyrene. I've witnessed it,' says Starr. All this waste then breaks down into microplastics, which are the most harmful as they eventually become so small that they get ingested or inhaled in the air we all breathe,' Starr said. Because pollution, and especially illegal waste, is a problem in many communities where rivers are found, Starr said it was vital that everyone understood the importance of a clean environment and for residents to see how their behaviours affect the environment around them. 'You can't trap everything, as more dumping lies after the trap too. We also can't keep mopping up; we need to educate the source and prevent littering and illegal dumping,' she said. Jacobs added that community education, especially in schools and churches, played an important role in reducing litter entering the waterways. Limitations of litter traps Despite their effectiveness, several challenges affect the operation and maintenance of litter booms and other litter traps. Access to some riverbanks can be difficult due to safety concerns or dense urban environments, limiting when and how teams can carry out maintenance. In KwaZulu-Natal, wide river systems combined with intense seasonal rainfall often cause flooding that can dislodge booms or allow debris to bypass them. To mitigate this risk, a number of booms are often installed in series. Ongoing maintenance is crucial, involving regular clearing of accumulated waste by river teams. Illegal dumping upstream can also overwhelm the booms' capacity, and theft of recyclable materials is a recurring issue in certain areas, which affects sorting efficiency and creates safety concerns for staff. 'Despite these challenges, our dedicated site teams conduct routine maintenance and adjust boom placements as necessary to maintain effectiveness,' Swart said. Jacobs echoed the importance of maintenance: 'The infrastructure of these litter traps will not hold up against consistent abuse and needs to be serviced regularly. This is one of the reasons you will see litter being removed even when it rains, as we do not want the fences washed away, even though they have been erected very solidly.' Gehardt Müller, head of Catchment Planning (East), Catchment Stormwater and River Management, Bulk Services, Water and Sanitation in the City of Cape Town, explained that they designed each intervention for the specific application and use various types of interceptors, and each type of interceptor has its limitations. This is dependent on the river hydraulics, velocity, profile of the river, variable seasonal flows (due to catchment areas and hydrology of the area), type of litter being thrown into the river and the location (vulnerable to theft and vandalism). The litter booms, for example, Müller and Badroodien said, only catch floating debris and miss the litter being transported below the surface, but they can float and manage to catch at various heights. They said that litter cages may have litter bypassing when the water level is high, which makes it helpful to install a series of interventions to catch litter in different scenarios. 'For example, in the Soet River we have large posts to catch the larger litter like tyres and mattresses, then a litter cage with smaller apertures downstream to catch the smaller litter, and a litter boom downstream of that to catch what may have topped over the other traps in high flows,' said Badroodien. They also noted that variable flows and large rain events affect the performance and capacity of the traps, so it was important to design sufficient bypass capacity in the rivers or channels to ensure the traps don't cause flooding when they are full of litter and impede the flow. Although there are limitations to each type, Badroodien and Müller said they were designing the best application for each site's conditions, monitoring them and making improvements based on what they learn. Ultimately, litter traps are only part of the solution. Their effectiveness depends on regular maintenance, community vigilance and a collective willingness to address the root causes of pollution. Upscaling these interventions is possible, but only if everyone (residents, the government and civil society) works together and recognises their shared responsibility for keeping communities clean. DM
