{"id":849959,"date":"2026-02-05T15:34:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T13:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=849959"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T13:34:09","slug":"famous-south-african-lake-now-a-polluted-mess-where-nobody-wants-to-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/849959\/famous-south-african-lake-now-a-polluted-mess-where-nobody-wants-to-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous South African lake now a polluted mess where nobody wants to go"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Boksburg Lake, a once bustling recreational hub with boating, fishing, and swimming, has become a polluted mess despite millions spent on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boksburg Lake\u2019s history is closely tied to the town, which forms part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many other towns and cities in Gauteng, Boksburg has its roots in mining. Gold was discovered in the area in 1887, and coal in 1888.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These discoveries led to the establishment of the town, named after State Secretary of the Transvaal Republic, Willem Eduard Bok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the influx of people, a muddy vlei was transformed into a 150,000 square metre dam to improve the water supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dam was initially seen as a failure. However, this changed when it was filled by heavy rains in 1891, creating a lake that became a prominent feature of the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the 19th century, Boksburg had developed into a bustling mining and industrial hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boksburg Lake, surrounded by lawns, trees, and terraces, became a popular and attractive feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historical accounts describe it as a destination for yachting, rowing, swimming championships, and weekend concerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It became known as a pleasure resort in the East Rand, serving as a premier destination for social life and high-level sporting events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boksburg Lake hosted prestigious rowing and swimming championships, as well as regular yachting regattas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The water was frequently filled with sailing yachts and rowing boats, creating a vibrant visual landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area around the water was meticulously maintained with terraces and lawns, making it a popular spot for picnics and social strolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decline of Boksburg Lake<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Over the past few decades, Boksburg Lake has declined significantly and lost its appeal as a recreational hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francois P. Coetzee\u2019s investigation into the proposed rehabilitation noted that the decline was linked to the poor sewage system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe critical problem with the Boksburg Lake is the constant inflow of suspended solids and nutrients,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This inflow comes from sewerage leaking into the municipal stormwater system, which drains into the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from the loss of the lake\u2019s appeal to residents, the pollution has killed much of the once-healthy ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents also complained about poor personal safety, the unpleasant odour of the lake water, litter lining the lake, and the degraded amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The try to address these problems, the City of Ekurhuleni commissioned contractors to carry out multi-phased refurbishment projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city spent millions on contractors to restore the lake and the surrounding park to their former glory after decades of neglect. However, this did not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BusinessTech visited the Boksburg Lake in February 2026, and it remains run-down and polluted. It is nowhere near its former glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facility’s entrance is overgrown and run-down, there is litter around the area, and the water remains polluted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was clear that little progress had been made to ensure that Boksburg Lake became a hotspot for entertainment and sport again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boksburg Lake sewage disaster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In October 2025, the Freedom Front Plus bemoaned the Ekurhuleni Metro\u2019s Department of Water and Sanitation\u2019s tardy response to the pollution crisis at Boksburg Lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It said the Ekurhuleni Metro only became aware of the sewage pollution after the Freedom Front Plus reported it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is despite the fact that the pollution was obvious for several months,\u201d the Freedom Front Plus said in a press statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It explained that the sewer pipe carried household sewage and chemical waste from nearby industries, for which there is no record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRepairing a damaged pipe, however, does nothing to rehabilitate the polluted Lake or the stream into which the waste was spilling,\u201d the FF Plus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The part demanded further steps, including an independent water and soil test to determine the extent and severity of the pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The party also reported the incident to the Gauteng Department of Environmental Affairs, requesting that it launch an investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This investigation should include negligence and draft a rehabilitation plan with deadlines and specific obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Boksburg Lake is not only filthy, but also sick. The natural environment around the Boksburg Lake needs targeted intervention,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boksburg Lake photos – February 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Boksburg Lake, a once bustling recreational hub with boating, fishing, and swimming, has become a polluted mess despite millions spent on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":849961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[21642,21643,2244,1652],"class_list":["post-849959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-boksburg","tag-boksburg-lake","tag-ekurhuleni-metropolitan-municipality","tag-gauteng"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849959"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":849975,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849959\/revisions\/849975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}