The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) welcomes the court judgment handed down against Emalahleni Local Municipality by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court. The municipality pleaded guilty to multiple environmental offences under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the National Water Act (NWA) 36 of 1998.
Following repeated failures to comply with several compliance notices and directives aimed at preventing sewage spillages into water resources and the environment, a criminal case was opened to legally compel the municipality to halt the pollution. This has resulted in the municipality being fined R650 million, with R150 million suspended for five years on condition that it is not convicted of any further or related pollution offences during the suspension period.
DWS welcomes the fact that R500 million of the fine will be directed towards the rehabilitation, urgent refurbishment, and repair of all identified dysfunctional wastewater infrastructure and operations by 2031.
The magnitude of the fine reflects the extent of the dysfunctional infrastructure that requires attention. The infrastructure cited in the court case includes the Klipspruit Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) and its network systems, Riverview WWTW, Ferrobank WWTW (including pump stations, manholes, and network systems), Naauwpoort WWTW, Thubelihle WWTW, Kriel WWTW, Phola sewer pump station, and Vilakazi sewer pump station.
DWS further calls on the community to play its part in reducing sewer spillages by refraining from disposing of foreign objects into toilets and sewer lines. As infrastructure vandalism and theft have been identified as major contributors to the dysfunction of wastewater treatment plants and pump stations in the municipality, DWS urges community members to take ownership of public infrastructure, safeguard it, and report any illegal activities to the authorities. This will help prevent infrastructure damage that leads to sewage spillages and the pollution of water resources and the environment.
The Department also welcomes the ongoing interventions by the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), which include the refurbishment and upgrading of the Ferrobank Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTW), funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation to the value of R309 million.
The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) is assisting with the acceleration of this project, which aims rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure and to increase the plant’s capacity from 12 ML/day to 23 ML/day.
The Department will continue to monitor the implementation of the action plan to be submitted by the municipality to address dysfunctional infrastructure, curb sewer spillages, and prevent the pollution of water resources and the environment.
For more information, contact:
Wisane Mavasa
Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation
Cell: 060 561 8935
Themba Khoza
Cell: 066 301 6962
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