More tests for Rietvlei Wetland Reserve, and other brief reports ...

* The City of Johannesburg is planning a crack down on issues of air and noise pollution and aims to employ more environmental health practitioners, according to Executive Mayor Amos Masondo. In his State of the City address, Masondo outlined this year\'s plan for environmental health. Full report in The Citizen

Pietermaritzburg, too, is putting in place a plan for pollution control. The plan has been given the nod by the Msunduzi Municipality’s Executive Committee. The widely hailed environmental policy addresses issues including air quality, water resources, noise and waste, as well as the socio-economic environment. Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed) * New laboratory tests on Robertsons peri-peri spice have again proved that it is contaminated with a banned chemical dye, Sudan I, II, III and IV. This is the third time the product has been screened by the Sunday Times and the results come in the wake of a massive media campaign launched by Robertsons to counter its recent exposé. Full Sunday Times report [whitebox_b]SA inventor patents hybrid battery Electrician and inventor Jan Human of Cape Town has invented a hybrid battery that he believes will revolutionise energy usage, cut climate-changing carbon emissions and give a major boost to the use of renewable energy. The hybrid battery, which Human has patented, can charge and discharge simultaneously and cuts energy use by up to 27%. It can be linked to Eskom, solar and wind power at the same time.