The Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forum, aimed at addressing the long-standing pollution affecting the water quality of the
Vaal River, was launched in Vanderbijlpark to identify remedial actions to mitigate the impact of pollution.

During the launch of the forum, the deputy minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo, said the forum will coordinate,
improve, and integrate efforts for the management of the Vaal River quality in line with its determined resource quality
objectives.

The forum will be chaired by Marius Keet, who has over four decades of experience before his retirement at the Department of
Water and Sanitation as chief director in mine water management and as director for the Highveld region managing water quality
in the Komati, Crocodile East, Sabie, and Upper Vaal catchment.

He also played a critical role in implementing the National Water Act through the establishment of ten water
quality forums in the upper Vaal area.

The Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forumwill be a non-statutory forum made up of various stakeholders with a particular focus
on stakeholders that are directly affected by the declining water quality of the Vaal River from the Upper, Middle, and Lower Vaal.

Members will be mandated to perform duties including:
• The coordination and support of awareness-building initiatives regarding water quality management in the Vaal River catchment.
• Ensure adequate stakeholder participation in the forum processes.
• Investigate and make recommendations to deal with water pollution.
• Enhance collaboration with various institutions to improve the quality of the Vaal River.
• Provide support to the existing catchment forums in the Vaal River.
• Annual reports to track the performance and implementation of recommendations and activities of the forum.

Deputy minister Seithlholo emphasised that the private sector and businesses must play their role in safeguarding water
resources by sounding the alarm where pollution of water resources occurs. The minister assured that the department will
respond to those alarms.

The minister added that dedicated channels will be available for stakeholders and the public to report pollution.

He mentioned that his department works together with the Departments of Human Settlements, Cooperative Governance and
Traditional Affairs, and Agriculture and Environmental Affairs to ensure sustainable development to avoid over-capacitated
wastewater treatment works, addressing point source pollution through municipal wastewater and non-point pollution.

The minister concluded saying the issue of pollution of our water resources is the business of every South African and every industry. “The Anti-Pollution Forum can do everything in its power to turn the tide against water pollution. However, we can still not win the fight if the governance challenges in our municipalities are not addressed. Without dealing with these
existential challenges, our country may not succeed in this fight. It is for this reason that we should work together towards ending
the pollution of our water sources,” minister Seitlholo said