AfriForum’s Teks branch chairperson, Jan du Plessis, handed a memorandum to Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) on October 5, along with a symbolic “River Pollution Award” trophy.

The memorandum, compiled by AfriForum’s regional head for Limpopo and Mpumalanga, Hennie Bekker, raises concerns about wastewater treatment failures at several municipal facilities and questions GMM’s recent recognition of the Trichardt Wastewater Treatment Works’ performance.

AfriForum describes the Bethal, Evander, Kinross and Leandra facilities as non-functional or severely compromised, arguing that progress at Trichardt should not overshadow challenges at other plants.

According to the memorandum, physical inspections over five years raised concerns about how these facilities operate. AfriForum also questioned the reported absence of chlorine gas at the Bethal and Leandra plants, raising concerns about disinfecting treated effluent before discharge.

GMM’s 2025/26 performance reporting reportedly recorded effluent quality compliance below target and stated that wastewater treatment works were “not fully operational”. The report also noted vandalism at Leandra and overloading at Trichardt and Kinross.

Testing highlights pollution concerns
AfriForum’s Green Drop testing between 2020 and 2025 is cited as further evidence of wastewater pollution.

According to the memorandum, Evander and Kinross recorded polluted results in every year tested, while Bethal and Leandra recorded polluted results in every year with valid results. Trichardt recorded polluted results in 2020, 2022 and 2024, but clean results in 2021 and 2023.

AfriForum recorded all five facilities as polluted in its 2024 testing. The memorandum also refers to municipal planning documents that recorded a Green Drop audit score of 39%, placing GMM eighth in Mpumalanga at the time.

The municipality had acknowledged the need for repairs, refurbishment and infrastructure upgrades to improve its score and effluent quality.

AfriForum calls for accountability
The memorandum follows the Mpumalanga Provincial Water and Sanitation Dialogue held in Middelburg on September 10, where GMM celebrated the Trichardt facility’s second-place recognition.

AfriForum responded with a trophy titled “First Place: The Community’s Award for Freshwater Pollution”, expressing frustration over what it describes as persistent infrastructure failures and their potential impact on freshwater resources and downstream communities.

GMM operates six wastewater treatment works in Bethal, Evander, eMbalenhle, Kinross, Trichardt and Leandra. Secunda’s sewage is treated separately at the Sasol facility.

AfriForum wants the municipality to publish operational status reports and the latest effluent quality results for the Bethal, Evander, Kinross, Leandra and Trichardt facilities.

It also calls for details of disinfection methods, explanations for the reported absence of chlorine gas at Bethal and Leandra, and information on mechanical and electrical failures.

Further demands include funded rehabilitation and maintenance programmes, deadlines for restoring impaired facilities to full operational capacity, and regular publication of effluent compliance results.

AfriForum maintains that Trichardt’s performance should become the standard for other plants, with sanitation performance assessed across all municipal facilities.

GMM responds
GMM spokesperson Donald Green said the municipality acknowledges sanitation challenges in some communities and remains committed to improving wastewater management through infrastructure upgrades, maintenance and operational improvements.

The municipality operates and maintains 36 sewerage pump stations and six wastewater treatment works. Green said ageing infrastructure, increasing wastewater volumes, shortages of skilled personnel and specialised equipment, vandalism and limited capital funding continue to affect service delivery.

Planned interventions include refurbishing and upgrading pump stations in Leandra, eMbalenhle, eMzinoni, Milan Park and Evander, and constructing a new pump station in eMbalenhle Extension 5. The municipality is also upgrading sanitation systems in Eendracht and addressing recurring blockages.

Green said the municipality identified capacity constraints at the Kinross and Trichardt treatment works and plans further improvements.

Other projects include upgrading the Charl Cilliers Wastewater Treatment Works, electrifying facilities and rehabilitating stormwater infrastructure in Bethal, Leandra and Trichardt.

The municipality has also installed security fencing at identified facilities and strengthened security and emergency response measures to protect infrastructure against vandalism and theft.

Green highlighted the Trichardt Wastewater System’s 89% score in the Best Technical Site Assessment for Wastewater System category, earning second runner-up position among assessed wastewater systems in Mpumalanga. The provincial water dialogue announced the award on September 10.

He acknowledged that significant work remains to address ageing infrastructure, improve treatment capacity and ensure consistent service delivery.

“Govan Mbeki Municipality remains accountable first and foremost to the residents it serves, rather than to any particular interest group,” said Green.

He added that the municipality respects civil society organisations’ right to raise concerns and demand accountability, but emphasised that constructive engagement should contribute to sustainable solutions.

Residents were urged not to dispose of household waste, clothing, stones, and other foreign objects in sewer systems, as these contribute to blockages, sewage spillages, and costly damage.

Green said the municipality remained committed to addressing sanitation challenges, protecting public health and the environment, and serving all communities within its constitutional responsibilities and available resources.