50|50 Episode 16 Season 8: 23 July 2017

Hartbeespoort Dam: Choked by Hyacinth

Hartbeespoort Dam was originally built in 1923 as an irrigation dam but soon became popular as a weekend getaway and water sports hotspot for visitors from all over Gauteng. It is also notorious for its poor water quality. The dam is severely eutrophicated thanks to elevated concentrations of phosphates and nitrates present in the Crocodile River, the dam’s major inflow. This is as a result of the growing level of dysfunction in the many sewerage works that drain the city of Johannesburg. The outbreaks of blue-green algae and water hyacinth that thrive in the nutrient-rich waters and subsequently choke the waters, understandably causes great despair amongst the dam users but the community is not prepared to just stand by and watch it disappear.

In die Spervuur: African black oyster catcher

This is an uplifting story of a species that today enjoys a brighter future than it did previously thanks to the dedicated efforts of conservationists and the general public working together to make the world a safer place for it to live in. In this week’s episode of ‘In die Spervure’, we meet the African black oystercatcher, the glamorous gallivanters of the intertidal zone.

VeldFokus:

Big or small, the animals in this week’s veldFokus are all putting on a great show for us! A family of hornbills strut their stuff, a mongoose tries out bungee jumping, while a pair of elephants demonstrate their snorkelling skills.