Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has revealed that more than 50% of South African municipalities are facing criminal charges for failing to address raw sewage spillages into freshwater resources.

In response to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Cathlene Labuschagne, Majodina disclosed that 50.61% of municipalities are currently subject to criminal proceedings for non-compliance with government directives regarding sewage management.

“The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) issued 164 directives for raw sewerage spillages into freshwater resources. The full details of each municipality were issued with a directive from 2019 up to 19 September 2024,” Majodina stated.

Raw sewage spillage compliance status and criminal cases

The investigation revealed that out of the municipalities assessed, 94 were found non-compliant, while 54 were partially compliant.

Only 15 municipalities achieved full compliance, with one municipality remaining unrated.

The department has initiated 83 criminal cases against non-compliant and partially compliant municipalities. However, 69 municipalities had no information available to determine any potential action against them.

Here is a list of the municipalities

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Deteriorating water quality

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Isaac Seitlholo recently highlighted the severity of the situation, stating, “Water pollution in South Africa has worsened, and it has worsened largely due to the collapse of municipal governance”.

Seitlholo said the lack of proper planning for, operating, maintaining, or building water and sanitation infrastructure in this country has caused raw sewage to run down some streets.

“Our dams and rivers are being polluted by broken down wastewater treatment works,” he said.

He further noted that this has resulted in “the proliferation of alien invasive plants such as the water lettuce in the Vaal River and the hyacinth in Hartebeespoort Dam.”

According to Seithlolo, many municipalities struggle with failing water and sanitation infrastructure, especially in the Free State.

Speaking to Infrastructure News, he suggested that capable private sectors and water boards should assist in addressing these issues. Municipalities often lack the resources to act quickly.

Additionally, Seitlholo revealed that he is leading the Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forum to address pollution in the Vaal River. This forum aims to improve water quality through collaborative efforts, awareness campaigns, and innovative solutions.

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Preventive measures and disease management

In response to concerns about waterborne diseases raised by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Makoti Sibongile Khawula, Majodina outlined several preventive measures.

“The DWS has resuscitated the Blue Drop Certification Programme to intensify regulation and monitoring of the municipalities regarding their provision of safe drinking water for human consumption,” she said.

“The Blue Drop Certification programme assesses municipalities on all regulatory requirements. Hereby, we check whether they comply with microbiological and chemical quality requirements as prescribed by SANS 241.”

According to Majodina, municipalities must upload their drinking water quality results to a web-based Integrated Regulatory Information System (Iris) for DWS monitoring.

“This system serves as an early warning system. Whenever microbiological water quality results failures are detected, the Iris sends automated emails to the municipalities for rectification and DWS regional offices for monitoring.”

She further explained that DWS requires municipalities to implement water safety planning.

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Majodina emphasised that municipalities must have a plan to manage drinking water quality failures, ensuring public health protection. This plan, known as the Incident Management Protocol, should be efficient, effective, consultative, and transparent.

She added that municipalities must inform consumers about the potential dangers when water quality tests reveal a health risk. This requirement is outlined in SANS241 and the Water Services Act. It underscores the importance of transparency and public awareness in maintaining safe drinking water.

The Blue Drop Certification system serves as an early warning mechanism. Certified municipalities have systems in place to identify and mitigate risks before outbreaks occur.

Municipalities with critical systems must develop and implement monitored corrective action plans to improve their situation.

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