GMM to adhere to the court ruling
The municipal manager, Elliot Maseko, said the municipality has made upgrading the sanitation infrastructure in the area a priority.
After the Bethal Regional Court fined Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) last year for contravening environmental laws by releasing sewage to water sources like rivers and streams, the municipality had to repair certain infrastructure before December 2026.
Representatives from the departments of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) and Gert Sibande District Municipality conducted a site inspection of two sewer infrastructures in eMbalenhle – the Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) and Ext 22 pump station, on March 19.
The DWS deputy director general for regulations, compliance and enforcement, Xolani Zwane, said great strides are being made in eradicating sewage spillages in eMbalenhle. The municipality has also incurred substantial costs to repair the Waste Water Treatment Works.
The municipal manager, Elliot Maseko, said the municipality has made upgrading the sanitation infrastructure in the area a priority.
“The municipal leadership and administration formulated plans and interventions to ensure the sewage plant is up and running, and today, I can safely inform this committee those plans are working. This sewer plant worked for the past eight months without any hindrances.”
Repairs are also underway at the Ext 22 pump station after heavy rains caused extensive damage to the infrastructure.,” said Maseko.
According to the municipality, the eMbalenhle Waste Water Treatment Works suffered multiple acts of vandalism when the plant was severely damaged, and key infrastructure stolen, which resulted in the pollution of the adjacent river.
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