Urgent and effective action is needed to stop sewage pollution in the Vaal River\u2019s catchment area. This sewage pollution poses a serious threat to Gauteng\u2019s water security and the health of people and the environment. This is AfriForum\u2019s plea following David Mahlobo, the deputy minister of Water and Sanitation (DWS)\u2019s recent statement that municipalities will be held accountable for sewage pollution with a \u201ccarrot-and-stick\u201d approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gauteng\u2019s water systems are already under tremendous pressure due to chronic municipal mismanagement, infrastructure neglect, and widespread leaks. This leads to South Africa\u2019s limited water resources not being used optimally. When natural water sources such as the Vaal River are polluted with sewage, the quality of natural water sources deteriorates to such an extent that it cannot be treated with conventional methods to achieve drinking water quality. This does not mean treating polluted water to drinking water quality is impossible. The implication, however, is that water service institutions such as Rand Water, which treats raw water to provide clean drinking water to Gauteng\u2019s municipalities, must incur additional costs to ensure that drinking water is still adequately treated. Thus, the cost of providing safe drinking water becomes significantly more expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AfriForum therefore welcomes any action to hold municipalities guilty of sewage pollution accountable but warns that criminal prosecution should not be relied upon alone. The reasons for this are, firstly, because investigations take a long time and officials who have not carried out their obligations properly are often no longer in their positions by the time prosecutions are instituted. Secondly, if a conviction is made and fines are imposed as punishment, it is usually not the officials who have to personally pay for it, but the municipality. In this way, residents of the municipality are actually being punished twice \u2013 first for the negative impact of sewage pollution that they have to live with and then for the fine that is effectively paid from the taxpayer\u2019s pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to AfriForum, transparency must be a core component of the deputy minister\u2019s \u201ccarrot-and-stick\u201d approach. This will contribute to an informed and active citizenry, which in turn can bring about positive change in the management of water infrastructure and resources, as well as holding the relevant officials accountable. The DWS\u2019s integrated regulatory information system (Iris) is a good example of a mechanism to promote transparent water management. Among other things, this system gives the public access to records of sewage treatment plants\u2019 legal compliance monitoring results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Iris records on processed wastewater discharged by 21 wastewater treatment plants upstream of the Vaal Barrage into the Vaal River catchment during the period 2024-07-13 to 2024-11-13, only the Sasolburg Operations wastewater treatment plant\u2019s outflow meets more than 90% of the relevant legal standards and is considered \u201cexcellent\u201d. Each of the remaining 20 sewage treatment plants\u2019 effluent met less than 50% of the relevant legal standards and is classified as \u201cpoor\u201d. Processed wastewater that is discharged into rivers must achieve a compliance point of 90% with respect to the required microbiological, chemical, physical and operational standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n