Gauteng premier waiting for evidence to act against health department head
'I act on evidence. The evidence I have now is insufficient and the institution conducting lifestyle audits has requested an extension and I've granted that extension. When they conclude that report I'll be in a position to take action.'
Gauteng MPLs engaged MECs during question time at a sitting in Selbourn Hall, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Lesufi reshuffled and removed several heads of department after a damning report that revealed about R1.8bn in underspending, including missed service delivery performance targets.
He said some department heads had missed their performance targets.
Lesufi also told MPLs the provincial government is on track with its E-tolls debt repayment plan.
'We are on track. We don't owe the national government. We owe the South African National Roads Agency. So far we've [paid] three instalments. We remain with two instalments and we'll ensure the history of E-tolls in our country is buried once and for all.'
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Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Hout Bay mussels contaminated with hidden toxins and sewage
A new study has found that waterways in Hout Bay, Cape Town, are severely contaminated with sewage, packed with invisible pharmaceutical chemicals and bacteria that even make their way into the seafood we eat. Hout Bay, a coastal suburb of Cape Town, is facing a growing pollution crisis in its waterways, with increasing levels of pharmaceuticals and other toxins detected in mussels, according to a new study. The study, by scientists from UCT, Wits, the University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University, investigated contamination in the coastal and riverine environments of Hout Bay by assessing pharmaceutical and personal care products in mussels and microbial indicators in water samples. The researchers set out to determine the extent of the pollution's impact zone. Their analysis of samples taken between 2020 and 2021 found contamination from the Hout Bay marine outfall, inadequate riverine sanitation and other sources indicated an urgent need for upgraded wastewater treatment and infrastructure to protect public and environmental health. The findings underscored the 'significant impact' of untreated sewage on the environment, the researchers said. The numbers are stark Acetaminophen, a common painkiller, was detected at concentrations ranging from 32.74 to 43.02 nanograms per gram of dry mussel tissue (ng/g dw) Bezafibrate, a drug to lower cholesterol, was by far the most common contaminant, reaching concentrations as high as 384.96 ng/g dw. Triclosan, an antibacterial found in many personal care products, was also high, at 338.56 ng/g dw. The results show that marine organisms are consistently being contaminated by medicines and personal care products. The increasing concentrations over time are likely because of more people moving to the area and the growing use of these kinds of products. The microbial analysis conducted as part of the study detected exceptionally high levels of E. coli in the Hout Bay River, specifically in areas receiving stormwater from the Imizamo Yethu settlement, with counts reaching more than 8.3 million colony-forming units per 100ml (cfu/100 mL). What it means for residents Because of the high levels of contamination, regularly eating the mussels and other seafood could lead to chronic exposure to these harmful chemicals, which may cause chronic illness and organ damage, the study says. However, the effects are far more prominent in marine organisms and marine environments. According to the study, Hout Bay's contamination levels are comparable to those in other highly urbanised and industrialised regions of the world. Leslie Petrik, a professor of chemistry at UWC and one of the study's authors, advised residents and beachgoers to 'stay away – the risk is consistently present'. Petrik said trends indicate that the quality of the water is deteriorating, increasing the risks for recreational users as well as commercial and tourism activities. 'Each of us has a duty for environmental stewardship. The toxicity of these persistent compounds is well documented and should preferably be substituted,' she said. The city's response City of Cape Town Deputy Mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews, told Daily Maverick that the challenge of the removal of pharmaceutical and product chemicals from wastewater was by no means unique to Hout Bay or Cape Town. 'Wastewater treatment works globally do not generally effectively remove contaminants of emerging concern from sewage, irrespective of the level of treatment,' said Andrews. Advanced techniques can remove some contaminants, but Andrews said these were costly, energy intensive and impractical at scale for municipal systems. The city has been investigating long-term options to replace marine outfall pipelines with new wastewater treatment works, but no decisions have been made on the timing of these replacements. Andrews said that Cape Town faced many competing priorities, with underserved areas requiring basic sanitation upgrades and that the 'prioritisation of limited funding' needed to be weighed up in this context. An environmental monitoring programme was under way and the sampling of both water and tissue at sites near the marine outfall was providing insight into this issue, he said. Extensive impact zone The researchers found that chemicals in pharmaceuticals, including those in antibiotics, antidepressants and hormones, as well as those found in personal care products, are not being adequately diluted or dispersed. Instead, they pass through wastewater systems largely untreated. As a result, they accumulate and persist in marine environments and organisms, such as the mussels studied, even at significant distances from where the waste enters the waterways. The main source of contamination is the Hout Bay marine outfall, which releases about 5.7 million litres of screened sewage into the ocean every day, 2.1km from shore at a depth of 39m. Contamination is also from the polluted inflows from the Disa River and other tributaries, which are heavily affected by the ineffective sanitation infrastructure, especially in informal settlements such as Imizamo Yethu. The study found that the impact zone around the outfall and river mouth was extensive. These zones are 'too pervasive for truly safe, consistent recreational use', said Petrik. The researchers warn that the current sewage treatment is not enough to curb the pollution, and that the marine outfall 'was not designed to handle the ever-increasing volumes of chemical constituents'. Growing informal housing built over sewer lines means these systems are often blocked or broken, leading to raw sewage routinely flowing down streets and into stormwater drains, which feed directly into the river. Another key factor identified is Hout Bay's unique geography as a 'bay within a bay', which limits water exchange and circulation. Instead, it acts as a trap, causing pollutants to recirculate back to the shoreline rather than being flushed out to sea. Improving wastewater systems Zahid Badroodien, the city's mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, said that Cape Town was committed to continually improving its wastewater systems: 'While the Hout Bay marine outfall currently operates within its design parameters and complies with national discharge regulations, we recognise that CECs [contaminants of emerging concern], including pharmaceutical and personal care products, pose new challenges globally.' Research on the treatment of these contaminants was ongoing across the world, she said, and the city was 'evaluating multiple long-term options that may address this in the future' at all of its wastewater treatment works. Petrik said that the study aimed to focus attention on the peculiar way that the city measured impact zones, using a single snapshot model of enterococci levels, which are used to detect faecal contamination. But, she said, the marine outfall and the Disa River released untreated raw sewage continuously, '24/7/365'. Petrik said that the city should rather trace the chemical fingerprint of sewage to properly understand the impact zones. 'The city keeps claiming that the marine outfall dispersal works according to its design criteria, but the measure of dispersal they use is vastly inadequate. 'Enterococci die off after a while, whereas the persistent contaminants give a far clearer, longer-lasting and traceable measure of the dispersal and thus the impact zones around these point sources of sewage discharge,' said Petrik. River pollution The city acknowledged that the Hout Bay River, also known as the Disa River, was in a very poor state due to periodic and ongoing pollution from a number of sources. 'It receives flows from a catchment of approximately 37 square kilometres, which includes natural upper slopes in the Table Mountain National Park, formal residential areas and smallholdings on both sides of the Hout Bay River, formal housing with backyard dwellers in Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg areas, and informal dwellings in Imizamo Yethu, which includes a fairly large informal settlement with limited services,' said Andrews. City's plan to improve sanitation services in Hout Bay, particularly in informal settlements like Imizamo Yethu Immediate actions: Increased, proactive cleaning, rapid response to spills, door-to-door inspections to enforce by-laws, and public education campaigns. Medium-term plans: Exploration of temporary solutions like diverting flows at the Victoria Road pump station and investigating the feasibility of in-line water treatment. Long-term strategy: A feasibility study in 2028/2029, which will focus on a major upgrade of the Disa River sewer pipe to increase its capacity and resilience. Badroodien said these efforts were part of a broader R1.25-billion city-wide investment in sanitation infrastructure for the current financial year, with R355-million allocated for sewer pipe replacements and R241-million to upgrade pump stations across Cape Town. Andrews said that they agreed with the authors of the study that further research into the bioaccumulation of pharmaceutical compounds by bivalves, such as mussels, in a marine protected area was needed. He said measures of when these contaminants should be considered to be at a level that was harmful both to people and the environment were not yet established, but that the city remained 'engaged in this emerging science as it develops globally'. DM
TimesLIVE
05-08-2025
- TimesLIVE
Gauteng premier waiting for evidence to act against health department head
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi says the lifestyle audit of health department head Lesiba Malotana is still outstanding and he will decide his future as soon as it is finalised. 'I act on evidence. The evidence I have now is insufficient and the institution conducting lifestyle audits has requested an extension and I've granted that extension. When they conclude that report I'll be in a position to take action.' Gauteng MPLs engaged MECs during question time at a sitting in Selbourn Hall, Johannesburg, on Tuesday. On Sunday, Lesufi reshuffled and removed several heads of department after a damning report that revealed about R1.8bn in underspending, including missed service delivery performance targets. He said some department heads had missed their performance targets. Lesufi also told MPLs the provincial government is on track with its E-tolls debt repayment plan. 'We are on track. We don't owe the national government. We owe the South African National Roads Agency. So far we've [paid] three instalments. We remain with two instalments and we'll ensure the history of E-tolls in our country is buried once and for all.'
IOL News
18-07-2025
- IOL News
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi urges compassion over confrontation in immigration crisis
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has urged citizens to reconsider their approach to the nation's immigration crisis, particularly regarding access to healthcare services. Image: Gauteng Gov/X Chasing away illegal immigrants from hospitals, clinics, and other government institutions will not help resolve the illegal immigration crisis South Africa is facing. This is according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who called on Operation Dudula Movement and other groups manning hospital and clinic entrances in a bid to stop alleged undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare, to refrain from this approach. On Thursday, scores of Operation Dudula Movement members in Durban and Johannesburg marched to the respective head offices of the South African Human Rights Commission against NGOs, such as Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), the Helen Suzman Foundation, and other organisations, who are being accused of protecting undocumented foreign nationals at the expense of poor South Africans. Over the past few months, March in March and Operation Dudula members have embarked on a nationwide campaign to stop immigrants from accessing healthcare services in clinics and hospitals across the country, sparking outrage and widespread condemnation from the National Department of Health and other sectors of society. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Reacting to the widespread campaign, SERI and Abahlali Basemjondolo called out the actions of Operation Dudula, saying the movement's anger is misdirected. The comments come after Operation Dudula staged a protest outside SERI offices in Braamfontein on Thursday, accusing the institute of protecting undocumented immigrants. While speaking to SABC News on Thursday, Lesufi acknowledged that the issue of immigration in the country, especially in Gauteng, had reached crisis level. He, however, cautioned against South Africans taking the law into their hands, saying this approach is not helping with the current crisis. "I am of the strong view that we have either mismanaged or delayed dealing with the issue of undocumented immigrants. However, I do not believe we can resolve this by closing clinics or chasing people away. We need to dive deep into the problems. We, as a country, need to respond to this problem," he stated. In a statement, the SAHRC said it was 'deeply concerned by reports of healthcare facilities that deny treatment to individuals based on nationality or documentation status. Such practices are not only unethical and unlawful but also inconsistent with South Africa's obligations under both domestic and international human rights law'. Lesufi indicated that the government has failed to address the challenges that have led South Africans and civil society to chase away those deemed illegal immigrants. "I do not think we have had the necessary energy on this particular matter. This is a serious problem. Gauteng, we are the bearers of the huge numbers, because of our economic position. But to think that we can resolve this by chasing people away from clinics and hospitals, I do not think that is the correct approach. This is merely a symptom, and we need to dig deeper into the problem and attend to it. As a province, we have identified this as a key problem because it affects our infrastructure. Unfortunately, it also affects, in some instances, some elements of crime as well," he said.
