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Part of the Matsapha Industrial Site and the Lusushwana River

Another, textile will be added to the lot in Matsapha Industrial Site. The Tex Ray Factory will include a dye house, a printing and brushing factory, a knitting factory, a boiler house and a wastewater treatment plant. The factory is located on plot 541 on the southern side of King Mswati Avenue in Matsapha. It is 300m to the west of Conco, a franchise of Coca-Cola Bottling Company that manufactures concentrates used to make Coca-Cola products. 

Tex Ray factory will consume about 7200m² of water per day that will be abstracted from the nearby Lusushwana River and about less of this amount of water would be discharged back into the river as treated effluent.  The Lusushwana River has been on the headlines as result of unprecedented pollution exacerbated on the river by industries, which is the only water source for downstream Edwaleni and Nhlambeni communities who use the water for their domestic activities such as cooking, washing and bathing. 

Worst disaster looming
Participants at the EIA scoping held on 21 June 2003 expressed serious concern about potential impact the operations of the Tex Ray factory would cause on the Lusushwana River. The big fear is that the factory will involve dyeing and the discharge of effluent into the Lusushwana River, which is already an environmental disaster. 

In March this year, some residents and concerned citizens protested against the development of a Pulp and chipping plant in the same industrial area citing that they suffered from chronic cholera due to the highly toxic substances already contaminating the river. In addition concerned citizens have been calling the government to declare the river and its surrounding environs a "national disaster," and that the government should allocate resources for its rehabilitation. 

Textile industries use great amounts of water for the cooking of fibres, de-sizing of fabrics and dying of materials. With this kind of industrial expansion, people and the environment should be the most important issue. Further, all development that occurs must respect natural resources, biodiversity, and healthy livelihoods.

Yonge Nawe is advocating developments that do not compromise the environment and people’s health and is therefore supporting practices that will make the sustainable development goal a reality. The organisation participates in environmental assessment processes and is encouraging communities to do so.  When you see notices about development projects coming into your area, please make sure that you participate in meetings about the proposed project. It is your obligation to raise your concerns before operations of the project start. Should you need any help please do not hesitate to call Yonge Nawe.