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The majority of wastewater treatment works operated by the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality have been producing effluent that does not comply with the standards for discharge into rivers or into the sea.

The pollution of our water resources is a criminal offence and we have written to the City Manager to inform her that we will lay criminal charges against those responsible, if the municipality does not provide a turnaround plan by Wednesday, 7 September 2022.

The compliance levels for the 2021/22 financial year show all larger facilities to be ill-functioning.

The bacteriological results of samples taken along the Swartkops River since the beginning of this year show the highly negative impact of the Kelvin Jones works on the river.  E.Coli  levels are very high and the water has been rendered dangerous for human contact.

The 2022 Green Drop Report, issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation, gave the Metro's wastewater treatment works an overall rating of 58% and estimated that over R112 million would be required to restore functionality.

Most recently, the Metro was issued with a fine of R2,5 million for its continued non-compliance.

The municipality blames this crisis on aerators not being in good order and a lack of chlorine. These components are key to the treatment process. In addition to these problems, Fishwater Flats suffered cable theft recently, and was entirely dysfunctional for approximately three weeks.

The City Manager must explain how the failing ANC-led government allowed this crisis to happen and provide plans on how the situation will be fixed and prevented from happening again.

This utter disrespect for our rivers and our coastal waters is unacceptable, both from an ecological and a human interaction point of view.

The DA will not allow the ANC to continue putting the health of our people and the viability of our natural resources at risk.

Let’s get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.

Issued by Cllr Annette Lovemore - DA NMB Spokesperson for Public Health