Two extreme athletes are set to swim 200km down the polluted Wilge River in the Free State to highlight the plight of South Africa's deteriorating waterways. Globally renowned extreme swimmers, Andrew Chin, aged 45, and Toks Viviers, aged 52, will take to the Wilge River at Harrismith on 6 January in Speedo costumes caps and goggles only, and will attempt to swim over about 10 days to Frankfort, 200km downstream.
They will be accompanied by a small support crew and will camp overnight on the river bank. The swim is organised by Rivers for Life which raises awareness of SA's water crisis and urges action. Chin is planning an extreme swim in a major river in each province as part of the initiative. "We're using more water than is available and fast running out," said Chin, adding, "our waste water treatment is in a critical state; over a third of our drinkable water is wasted through leaking pipes and taps and; many of our rivers are polluted from sewage and toxic run-off. We hope our swims will ignite action to address these issues," he said.