PHALABORWA – Let’s Change Ba-Phalaborwa (LCBP) has welcomed progress in three long-running service delivery matters it escalated against Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality (BPM).

Years of outages prompt Nersa complaint

The first relates to the town’s ageing electricity infrastructure, which LCBP says has caused frequent and prolonged power outages. The civic organisation said its repeated attempts to engage the municipality were ignored, prompting it to lodge a complaint with Nersa in 2022.

After inspecting the electricity network, Nersa found that BPM was in breach of its licence conditions and recommended the establishment of a forum to address the problems.

When little progress followed, LCBP and AfriForum approached the courts in 2024, arguing that BPM had failed to maintain the network and that Nersa had failed to enforce compliance.

LCBP’s Trevor van Rooyen said Nersa has now instructed BPM to appear before a tribunal. All legal documents were exchanged by July 2, and the parties are awaiting a hearing date.

“We are pleased that there is finally progress,” Van Rooyen told the Herald.

Sewage pollution reaches Kruger, Mozambique

The second matter concerns untreated sewage flowing from Tshutsi through local streams into the Kruger National Park (KNP) and Mozambique’s Massingir Dam.

LCBP has described the pollution as an environmental crime that threatens tourism and public health.

The Department of Water and Sanitation took over the matter in 2023, and the NPA has scheduled a court appearance for BPM and Mopani District Municipality, the water services authority, on July 22.

LCBP said it hopes both municipalities will be held fully accountable.

“Our concern is that the municipalities may plead guilty and negotiate a settlement, resulting in minimal consequences for years of pollution and environmental damage,” the organisation said.

AG report exposes years of neglect

The third matter relates to the deteriorating state of the municipality’s wastewater infrastructure. LCBP requested the Auditor-General’s (AG) environmental division to inspect the system.

According to the 2024/25 AG’s report, the wastewater network is failing, sewer blockages and overflows are common, and raw sewage is flowing into the Tshutsi River before reaching the KNP.

The report attributes the problems to years of inadequate maintenance, delayed upgrades, poor planning, weak leadership, poor financial management and inadequate oversight. It also notes that the pollution has harmed tourism, businesses, the environment and the health of residents.

LCBP wants independent contractors, not BPM

Van Rooyen said LCBP wants independent private contractors to assess and repair both the electricity and sewer infrastructure, rather than returning responsibility to the municipality after repairs are completed.