The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo, acknowledged visible improvements at the Percy Stewart Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) during an oversight visit during the week.

Seitlholo also cautioned that further upgrades and compliance work remain necessary to meet required effluent standards amid ongoing concerns over sewage management in Mogale City.

The visit formed part of ongoing monitoring of wastewater infrastructure performance following rehabilitation work at the plant, which had previously been affected by vandalism and theft of critical electrical infrastructure.

• ALSO READ: Echoes of Krugersdorp: The story of Percy Stewart

According to Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) senior communications practitioner Tendani Shavani, emergency interventions carried out between November 2024 and January 2025 included the refurbishment of the central pump station and motor control centres (MCCs), replacement of stolen power cables, refurbishment of the chlorine dosing system, and restoration of electrical supply to key parts of the facility.

Seitlholo met with executive mayors from Mogale City, Rand West and Merafong Local Municipalities to discuss wastewater management challenges and the protection of water resources linked to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and the Crocodile River system.

During the engagement, the mayors committed to strengthening wastewater operations and improving the quality of effluent released into surrounding river systems.

Infrastructure upgrades and repairs highlighted

Security measures at the plant were also highlighted during the visit, with the Mogale mayor, Lucky Sele, noting increased protection to safeguard infrastructure investments against vandalism and theft.

While progress has been made, additional work is still required to improve compliance levels and wastewater treatment standards.

Ongoing compliance concernsThere are major improvements that have been made in most parts of the wastewater treatment works, but more still needs to be done to bring treated effluent to the required standards,” Seitlholo said.

Sele reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to improving future Green Drop assessment outcomes.

Opposition calls for urgent intervention

Last month, the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) requested the Gauteng MEC for Environmental Affairs to immediately intervene in what the party described as an ongoing sewerage crisis in the Mogale City Local Municipality, including areas such as Krugersdorp, Magaliesburg and Muldersdrift.

In a public statement, Jaco Mulder, FF Plus Member of the Provincial Legislature and chairperson of the Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs, said the situation has progressively worsened over time, with serious and frequent untreated sewage spills occurring at the pump station in Pinehaven.

He said these spills pollute wetlands, groundwater and ultimately the Crocodile River. In another incident, a burst pipe in Tarlton allegedly caused untreated sewage to spray into the air, creating a serious health and environmental risk.

The FF Plus-led Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs has on several occasions confronted the municipality about the extensive sewage spills as well as the collapse of Percy Stewart.

“It resulted in the severe pollution of the Blougat Tributary and the Crocodile River and also caused several tourism attractions in the Cradle of Humankind to close their doors. Even the groundwater in the Cradle is severely polluted,” he stated.

According to Mulder, additional incidents at the Flip Human WWTW, leaks at the Brickvale pump station resulting in sewage seeping into the dolomitic soil of Tarlton, and overflow infrastructure at the Dr Sefularo housing development that discharges sewage into the Magalies River at Hekpoort point to broader infrastructure and operational failures.

In our view, the municipality is unable to fulfil its constitutional mandate.”

The party has also requested that the Gauteng Department of Environmental Affairs urgently institute legal action against the accountable officials and the municipality.

“Administrative and structural interventions are desperately needed to prevent further environmental damage,” Mulder continued.

He added that sustainable solutions would require improved governance, professional administration and stronger accountability measures.

Mogale said refurbishment efforts are progressing

On May 18, MCLM head of corporate communications Adrian Amod said the municipality’s Water Services Department has been working since 2023 to restore and stabilise key wastewater infrastructure, including the Percy Stewart, Flip Human and Magaliesburg WWTW, as well as municipal pump stations.

“Although still a work in progress, these interventions across the network will eventually achieve compliance with Water and Sanitation licence standards, increased operational capacity, safer wastewater treatment processes and improved quality of water discharged into river systems and streams,” said Amod.

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