Fears that Cradle of Humankind may lose World Heritage Site status due to water pollution in Mogale City

JOHANNESBURG - Water pollution in Mogale City has led to fears that the Cradle of Humankind may lose its designation as a World Heritage Site.

The site is home to some of the world’s oldest fossils, with the largest known concentration of human ancestral remains found anywhere in the world.

However, mine effluent and sewage runs daily through the site largely due to Mogale City’s broken wastewater pumps.

READ: Water pollution negatively impacting Mogale City businesses

Aside from carrying important archaeological history, the Cradle of Humankind is also a big tourist attraction to Mogale City.

The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Association is a community-based forum established to protect the cultural and environmental integrity of the area.

The association’s director, Trevor Brough, said there was a concerning increase in sewage flowing to the site.

"Part of the problem is aggravated by the increase in population in the CBD area of Krugersdorp. As you have more people, they flush the toilets more and you end up with more waste."

The Mogale City Municipality has blamed years of underinvestment in its wastewater infrastructure as part of the problem.