SEDIBENG. – After more than five years of constant pressure from the FF Plus, the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) will finally appear in court on March 3 to explain why millions of litres of untreated sewage are ending up in the Vaal River every day.

This was revealed to Sedibeng Ster by Gerda Senekal, FF Plus councillor in the ELM.

Senekal said that her party lodged a formal complaint with the Green Scorpions and requested an investigation as far back as May 2020.

“A criminal charge was simultaneously lodged at the Vanderbijlpark Police Station against the then administrator. The name of the current Municipal Manager, April Ntuli, was later added to the charge sheet for contraventions of the National Water Act and other relevant environmental legislation,” she said.

Senekal added that the sewage system had collapsed in 2018 due to neglect and a lack of maintenance.

“Sewage flowed freely through streets, homes, cemeteries, and roads into the Vaal River and its tributaries. Year in and year out, the council simply ignored the FF Plus’s repeated warnings regarding health and environmental risks.”

The party also brought the matter to the attention of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), which conducted a thorough investigation and subsequently declared the pollution a violation of residents’ constitutional right to a healthy environment and clean water.

Senekal revealed that the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the national Department of Water and Sanitation have officially held Emfuleni accountable for its catastrophic pollution.

“The FF Plus views the Green Scorpions’ intervention as an important victory for the party, sending a clear message to Emfuleni that it will no longer get away with failing to maintain infrastructure. The party hereby also demonstrates that it will not shirk its oversight role, but will keep holding Emfuleni accountable for maladministration.”

At the time of going to print, the ELM had not responded to Sedibeng Ster’s enquiry.