13 hours ago
Final warning for water polluters – we will act, we will prosecute and we will expose you
As Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, I carry the delegated responsibility to address the impact of water pollution and protect the integrity of our country's water resources. Few challenges illustrate this duty more starkly than the state of the Vaal River today.
It bears the scars of years of municipal mismanagement and wastewater system failure. Raw sewage, discharges from malfunctioning wastewater treatment works and decaying infrastructure have turned parts of this iconic river into a national warning sign and disaster. It is a crisis we can no longer ignore, and it is far from isolated.
As such, the Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forum, which we have since established, now brings together municipalities, industries and civil society to coordinate emergency interventions and enforce accountability.
But this work cannot succeed unless these municipalities themselves step up fully, consistently and with urgency.
Serious decline
The 2023 Green Drop Watch Report reinforces what communities have long known: that our wastewater infrastructure is in serious decline. Of the 850 treatment systems audited nationally, 334 were flagged as being in a critical state, with performance scores below 31%.
These are not remote systems in distant municipalities. Many serve urban centres and densely populated towns. In provinces like Limpopo (78%), Free State (67%), and Northern Cape (76%), more than two-thirds of wastewater systems are critically dysfunctional.
These failures are not just engineering issues, they represent a profound threat to public health, environmental integrity and constitutional rights.
The root causes are not a mystery. The report points to underfunding, lack of skilled staff, inadequate planning, infrastructure vandalism and in some cases, municipal inaction or non-cooperation.
Municipalities were required to submit Corrective Action Plans within 60 days of the 2022 Green Drop Report, yet only 50% complied. Of those, just 10% had begun implementation by the time of the 2023 audit. This is a crisis of both capacity and governance.
While the national government is fulfilling its mandate through enforcement, funding and support, the Constitution is clear that the day-to-day operation and maintenance of wastewater systems is the responsibility of local government. This is not about apportioning blame; it is about clarifying responsibility.
Action and accountability
As a department, we are taking action. We have initiated 172 enforcement interventions, placed 307 systems under active monitoring, and begun holding municipal officials and institutions accountable through legal channels.
The R160-million fine imposed on Dipaleseng Local Municipality in November 2024 for persistent sewage discharges into rivers and communities is a landmark case and a clear indication that failure will no longer be tolerated.
And let me be absolutely clear. Those who knowingly pollute our water systems, whether in public office or private industry, will be pursued. If you are dumping waste into rivers, ignoring infrastructure failure or failing to comply with directives, your days of hiding behind red tape and apathy are numbered. There will be prosecutions. There will be financial penalties. And there will be public accountability.
But enforcement alone is not the solution. We are also building support structures. The Green Drop Support Plan, developed in collaboration with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the South African Local Government Association and the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent, is helping municipalities implement improvements.
Maintenance programmes are creating jobs and technical capacity. And performance incentives are being tied directly to Green Drop outcomes.
Attitude change
Still, none of this will be enough without a change in mindset. Infrastructure maintenance is not an optional extra, it is the foundation of service delivery, and you cannot build new systems on a collapsing base. You cannot promise dignity while sewage flows through the streets and homes of residents, and you cannot lead without taking responsibility for what you have been entrusted to manage.
The real test of municipal leadership today is not how much new infrastructure is built, it is how well the existing systems are operated, maintained, and protected. The Green Drop Report is more than just an audit. It is a barometer of whether local governance is working, and it tells us where risks are accumulating, where communities are being let down, and where leadership is absent.
There are examples of what success can look like. In Laingsburg and Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape, a failing conservancy system was replaced with a modern membrane bio-reactor treatment plant. The facility now not only complies with regulations, but it also recycles water, supports housing development and creates local employment.
Local leadership
That success was made possible through intergovernmental collaboration. But it was driven by local leadership that understood its responsibility and rose to the occasion.
South Africa stands at a crossroads. We have the policy frameworks, the regulatory systems and the investment channels. What we need now is a shift from crisis response to systemic maintenance. That means every mayor, every municipal manager and every councillor must treat wastewater infrastructure as a matter of strategic priority and moral obligation.
To communities, you are not powerless. Report pollution and refrain from polluting. Demand performance and hold your councils accountable. Water is not just a resource; it is your right. When rivers run black with sewage, it is not only nature that is violated. It is your dignity, your health and your children's future put at risk.
To polluters, whether through action or neglect, this is your final warning. We will act, we will prosecute and we will expose you. The time of excuses is over. The era of accountability has begun.
To lead today is to maintain, and this is precisely how municipalities will be judged, not by what they promise, but by what they preserve. If we fail to protect our water systems, the cost will not only be ecological or economic, but it will also be deeply human. DM
