Mogale City water pollution: Squabbling municipality and department pass the buck

The community of Mogale City, in the west of Johannesburg, have been subjected to unhygienic conditions for years due to the collapse of the water treatment plant in the region while the city and the department of water and sanitation blame each other for the status quo.

Mogale City and water department at loggerheads

An urgent court application by the department was struck off the court roll on 27 December. But the department says it will pursue legal action against the municipality as it has exhausted all other avenues.

Mandla Mathebula, head of communications in the department, said: “This non-compliance leads to severe pollution of water resources (Bloubank and Blougatspruit) and also has a socioeconomic impact on investors in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation cradle of mankind.”

Sewage spilling into rivers

There is sewage spillage into rivers and alleged non-compliance with the water use licence in the municipality. But neither the city, nor the department will take responsibility for the dire situation.

Mogale City mayor Lucky Sele said the department was targeting the city.

“Why single out Mogale City? Why take us to court on Christmas Eve, especially when the wastewater treatment issues in our municipality have been ongoing for four to five years?

“The department has known about these problems for years and did not take legal action. This suggests a desperate attempt to create the appearance that they are doing something about this sewer network infrastructure collapsing by making Mogale City the scapegoat,” he said.

ALSO READ: Mogale City mayor resigns, dismisses ‘bad blood’ with ANC and EFF

The department’s court documents indicate it wants the municipality to immediately cease discharging sewage from the pump stations at the Percy Stewart Wastewater Treatment works and to stop the overflow of raw sewage from manholes into the environment.

The department said the municipality is in contravention of its water use licence and in breach of its constitutional obligation to prevent contamination of the environment by allowing sewage discharge into streams.

It says the municipality must provide a report showing what progress has been made with R35 million to repair and maintain the sewage treatment plant and pump stations.

President Cyril Ramaphosa last year asked the Gauteng premier to intervene.

“When he came in October, we submitted a short- and medium-term plan, along with funding requirements. The department hasn’t visited the sites, engaged with us or offered suggestions for intervention. Instead, they rushed to court,” Sele said.

ALSO READ: Residents suffer as sewage swamps Swaneville

He added that the R300 million the department had supplied to the municipality since 2016 had not included wastewater treatment projects until 2022.

“This funding was allocated based on specific business plans submitted by the municipality, none of which included wastewater treatment projects. Only in 2022 they received a business plan from the municipality on waste water treatment plants.”

Lack of maintenance at waste water treatment plants

The municipality said that during 2022-23 it spent R22-40 million trying to fix all the issues but by 2023, the plant had completely collapsed.

According to Sele, the plant was last maintained between 2013 and 2016.

The department said Mogale City was responsible for the water and sanitation functions as per the constitution. “Municipalities, through revenue collection for services, are responsible for funding operations and maintenance.

“The department has supported this municipality from 2013-14 with the upgrade of the plant and subsequent requests to refurbish and maintain the plant,” Mathebula said.

Sele said the city has made progress. “Between October and now we’ve invested R30 million to restore functionality. The plant is operational again, and sewer spills have been controlled.

“While bioremediation is ongoing, it will take time to meet the standards of our water licence.”

NOW READ: Vaal river threatened: Resort, nearby businesses may close