The suspected source of the Jukskei River sewage pollution is within the Johannesburg area.

The City of Ekurhuleni confirmed this following a site visit conducted by DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane MPL, on July 3.

The oversight inspection was at the Morninghill section of the river. Residents had expressed their frustrations over the ongoing sewage pollution affecting their community.

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“We learnt that large amounts of sludge are being churned towards the weir, flowing into the Jukskei River and through several suburbs in Ekurhuleni.

“This has been an ongoing issue, posing a serious health and environmental risk to residents. Residents deserve clean, safe environments, and we will continue to fight for urgent action,” said Rasilingwane.

She added that years of government inaction have allowed one of Gauteng’s worst environmental disasters to continue unchecked.

The inspection highlighted the ongoing discharge of untreated sewage into the Jukskei River, deteriorating infrastructure, downstream flooding, and the devastating impact on residents, businesses and the environment.

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Rasilingwane said the crisis is not caused by a lack of reports or public complaints, but by a complete failure of political accountability.

“This problem has been reported for years, yet nothing changes because those responsible are never held accountable. Until we have governments willing to enforce the rule of law, communities will continue paying the price for political protection.”

She said the failure of the ANC-led administrations to act decisively against officials facing serious allegations has contributed to a culture where accountability is too often delayed.

“As long as leaders refuse to suspend officials facing serious allegations and continue protecting cadre deployment over residents, service delivery will keep collapsing. Accountability cannot exist where politicians protect one another.”

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The DA expressed its belief that solving the Jukskei crisis requires urgent cooperation among the City of Johannesburg, the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), the Department of Water and Sanitation, environmental regulators, and affected communities to repair ageing sewer infrastructure, stop pollution at its source, and hold responsible officials accountable.

“Government will not magically fix this crisis overnight, but it can start by enforcing accountability. Residents deserve municipalities that solve problems instead of protecting failure.”

Rasilingwane said they will continue fighting for transparent governance, urgent infrastructure investment and real accountability to restore the Jukskei River and protect communities across Ekurhuleni.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said Johannesburg Water would be able to shed more light on the matter as that’s where the source of the pollution is.

Dlamini added, “On our side, the Water and Sanitation Business Unit is doing monthly inspections on the hotspot areas to ensure that possible incidents of pollution are detected as early as possible to limit the impact on the river and the environment.”

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He said investigations have confirmed that the pollution originates upstream from the Johannesburg side, specifically at Queen Street, where there is a collapsed sewer line. The spokesperson stated that Johannesburg Water is aware of this sewer failure.

Dlamini encouraged residents to report on the available platforms for pollution to be investigated.
Johannesburg Water has been contacted for comment and will be shared as soon as it is available.