Merafong City Local Municipality is still dumping raw sewage into a major local river, even though they already face criminal charges for the same offence.
Last October, the Herald revealed that a resident, Jerry Ramokgoatedi, had alerted the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to the problem. Contractors were seen dumping waste from honey-sucker trucks into a manhole near the Wonderfonteinspruit River.
The DWS confirmed at the time that a legal case had been opened against the municipality for illegal dumping.
The dumping continues because a vital pipeline over the river is broken. Instead of being carried safely to the Khutsong treatment works, the sewage dumped into the manhole simply leaks out of the broken pipe and straight into the water. While previous trucks caught in the act had Mpumalanga number plates, the Herald recently photographed a truck from KwaZulu-Natal dumping 8 000l of waste into the same manhole on March 26. Large pools of sewage around the site suggest this is happening regularly.
As of March 30, sewage was still flowing freely into the Wonderfonteinspruit. This is a major concern for the wider region, as the river eventually flows into the Mooi River, which flows into the Potchefstroom Dam, which is the main source of drinking water for the neighboring city of Potchefstroom.
Experts have also warned of a hidden danger. The bridge where the leaks are happening is built on dolomite rock. This type of ground is unstable when wet, meaning the constant flow of sewage could trigger dangerous sinkholes in the area.
The Herald took the issues to the municipality’s communication and marketing manager, Temba Fezani, on Monday, but received no response by printing time.