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Between 2009 and 2023, none of the country’s 43 licensed wastewater and drinking water treatment plants, with a capacity of up to 2 megalitres per day, had been inspected, and only 56% of those plants, which include sewerage plants, had been audited.

This was revealed in a parliamentary reply from the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, to the Democratic Alliance.

By failing to audit the 43 licensed plants in the country, both Minister Mchunu and his Department are failing in their management duties set out in Chapter 10 of the National Water Act.

A telling example of this failure is the recent response to a question from the DA, which exposed that approximately 77% of all sewage being released via coastal outfalls is coming from the ANC-governed province of KwaZulu Natal. KZN has permission to discharge 147,040,250 cubic meters of sewage every year, the majority of which (57%) is released into estuaries. A further staggering statistic is that this waste is licensed to be discharged from only 21 outfalls.

Failure to conduct both inspections and auditing is not only a serious concern in terms of the financial credibility of these plants, but further puts our country’s 291 estuaries at risk. These estuaries have faced environmental degradation because of the poor treatment of water running into it.

This is because treatment plants, such as the 43 smaller plants, play a crucial role in ensuring that the water discharged into rivers and streams is of high quality and does not negatively impact the surrounding environment. Without regular inspections and audits of these facilities, there is an increased risk of pollution and contamination of the waterways that feed into estuaries.

If the treated water is not of good quality, it can have harmful effects on the fauna and flora that live in the estuary – resulting in harmful algal blooms and reduced oxygen levels in the water which kills animals. Additionally, pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals can accumulate in the tissues of fish and other aquatic organisms, posing a risk to human health if eaten.

Going forward, the DA will be asking Minister Mchunu why no inspections were conducted on the authorised package plants from 2009 until 2023, and what actions are being taken to ensure that inspections and audits are conducted regularly and consistently in the future to prevent further environmental damage due to non-compliance with licensing conditions.

Further questions will be asked on measures taken to assess and ensure the compliance of licenses issued for larger treatment plants.

While the ANC-led National Government is failing to ensure the compliance of plants and protect our water bodies, the DA-led Western Cape Government recently hosted its successful Water Indaba - bringing together key stakeholders from the provincial, local, and national government, and experts in water management and conservation.

Here, they discussed measures to manage water and unpacked the Western Cape’s 15-year Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan, which aims to strategically manage current and future water supply and demand. The plan involves multiple Western Cape Government departments working together to invest in water infrastructure and optimally use water.

Issued by Cayla Murray MPL - DA Constituency Head, Blaauwberg-Durbanville 2