East London fishermen and swimmers have expressed concerns over the safety of the water in several city rivers, saying it is a threat to human, animal and plant life. This week, WhatsApp groups of East London fishermen have been flooded with complaints about smelly water in the Buffalo River, with some saying they had spotted a “green grease” on the surface.
Deaf former SA swimming champion Mark Roach, 25, was not in the mood for hearing anything his hearing device was on the shore and his mind locked in on keeping a struggling newborn humpback whale calf from dashing itself to death on the rocks at Nahoon Corner on Saturday. In a shocking post on Sunday, the calf was seen dead on the beach, with Roach simply posting: “Didn’t make it.
Swimming in the dirty Vaal River to raise awareness of its contamination
By Staff Reporter
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Johannesburg - Four open water swimmers swam two stretches of the highly-polluted Vaal River near Standerton in Mpumalanga to raise awareness of its contamination and to help seek solutions.
Andrew Chin and Craig Bishop from Cape Town, along with Mandy Uys and Joy Roach from East London bravely took on the challenge as part of the “Swim for Rivers” campaign, which highlights the deteriorating state of SA’s waterways and the urgent need to restore them.
The four set off near the Blesbokspruit confluence with the Vaal and swam downstream for around 10km to the entrance of the Grootdraai Dam. The swimmers encountered better-than-expected conditions along the river and signs of a relatively healthy ecosystem. They entered the river again on the Saturday, from a local farm, and swam almost 5km to the outskirts of Standerton, as locals had warned them about sewage flowing into the ri
Fast-growing sport attracts adventure lovers of all ages By Gillian McAinsh - 20 February 2021
Going to the beach and splashing in the shallows is an easy pleasure on the Sunshine Coast, but today there are more and more swimmers zipping up wetsuits and heading out further than they’ve ever been, into the deep blue sea.
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