Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
31 July 2023 | 13:42 CAT

WaterCAN calls for urgent action to save South Africa’s rivers from sewage pollution – Image: WaterCAN

WaterCAN has laid criminal charges against the City of Johannesburg’s municipal managers for sewage pollution. Activists say it is forced to take action over pollution as the City of Johannesburg and Municipal manager Floyd Brink and former manager Bryne Maduka failed to stop a year-long sewage spill blamed on infrastructure failure.

Last year the generator at the Goudkoppies Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) broke down, so sewage inflow had to be rerouted to nearby Bushkoppies WWTW during power cuts.

Two weeks later, cable theft at Goudkoppies and still no generator meant that all inflow was rerouted to Bushkoppies, which needed more capacity to cope with the flow.

In August 2022, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) issued a directive to COJ for its failure to prevent pollution from the overflowing of the emergency dam of Bushkoppies in Eldorado Park, which causes raw sewage wastewater to flow into the Harringtonspruit.

“Sewage pollution is killing our river ecosystems. South Africa is a water-scarce country, and such high levels of pollution are completely criminal. It is time to hold people accountable for not doing their jobs. Polluting water is a violation of basic rights, including the right to health,” says Dr Ferrial Adam, Executive Manager for WaterCAN.

Despite the DWS’s directive, COJ has failed to take adequate corrective action, and water pollution in the Klip River continues. Recent inspections conducted by the DWS on 23 February 2023 at Bushkoppies and on 1 March 2023 at the nearby Goudkoppies in Riversdale showed no improvement. The Klip River has been at the centre of recent cholera cases in Johannesburg, further highlighting the urgent need for action.

“Sewage pollution is a challenge across the country. Water activists must explore similar charges against municipal managers who are failing in their duties. This must be the beginning of holding officials to account for years of dereliction of duty of care over our water resources,” says Adam.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie.