Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Mr Sello Seitlholo, says the state of municipalities’ Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) has contributed hugely on the widespread pollution of the water courses in Gauteng province. He was addressing the representatives of Ekurhuleni, and Tshwane, Johannesburg metros and Mogale City at Centurion Lake Hotel, in Tshwane on 11 November 2024.

Deputy Minister Seitlholo urged the municipalities to prioritise improving the state of their WWTW infrastructure, ensure that they produce the required standard of effluent and to obtain the necessary skills and capacity to improve the operations and maintenance of its infrastructure.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has previously assessed all municipal wastewater systems in 2021, and the publications of the Green Drop Report in 2022 and the progress report in December 2023 have revealed the poor state of wastewater treatment systems which have resulted in the presence of sewage in the streets, rivers and dams.

Deputy Minister Seitlholo highlighted that the Vaal and the Crocodile rivers in Gauteng are the key systems that support economic activity in South Africa, as they provide raw water for water users across all sectors, including agriculture, domestic, industrial and mining.

He also mentioned dams such as The Barrage, Vaal, Hartbeespoort and Roodeplaat dams as which provides recreational and tourism opportunities that boost the development of the municipalities within which they are situated, as well as in the province. However, these dams are being threatened by pollution from wastewater systems, overloaded systems, pumpstation failures and sewer leaks from the municipalities.

“We have to make the necessary changes to turn this situation around and ensure that municipalities as the water services authorities have appropriate town planning and land use management in place, to ensure adequate investment of revenue from the sale of water back into the operation and maintenance, refurbishment and upgrades of both water and wastewater treatment systems including the distribution and collection components”, said Deputy Minister Seitlholo.

Deputy Minister Seitlholo said the Department has given financial and technical support to municipalities, even though the drop reports have indicated that water services and quality continue to decline.

He appealed to municipalities to address the challenges of pollution by responding to directives given by the Department, and to also improve on poor maintenance and operation of WWTW infrastrutures by municipalities.

The DWS, through its Water Use Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement Directorate, will continue to strengthen its regulatory function and make regulatory actions more consistent to ensure that municipalities address the problem of pollution to the country’s water courses.

The Department currently has 88 criminal cases against municipalities they investigate. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is also investigating cases of river pollution by its Environmental Management Inspectors (EMI’s).