Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has apologised to the nation for acute Vaal River and Emfuleni community sewage pollution and the failure of plans thus far to remedy the disaster.

Sewage pollution of Vaal communities and the river system destroyed economic growth well beyond the areas through which it flowed as far afield as the Northern Cape, Mchunu admitted.

One of Mchunu’s Deputy Ministers – former State Security Minister David Mahlobo  – has now been delegated to directly oversee project implementation.

“We have already started implementing,” said Mchunu after an infrastructure inspection in Emfuleni.

Speaking at a stakeholder meeting at the Riverside Sun Hotel on the Vaal River in Vanderbijlpark on Wednesday, Mchunu won the support of organised business and civil society stakeholders.

He blamed ELM and Sedibeng Municipalities for the present situation and said there would be both a financial and management accounting on why things had gone awry for so long.

He also said the use of the SA Army to address the crisis was inappropriate.

“The South African Army was defeated by sewage without firing a bullet. Who could have imagined that?” asked Mchunu.

He made no project budget – previously thought to be over R7 billion – public but said he would ensure that the Gauteng Province and ELM and Sedibeng municipalities also paid to refurbish water and sanitation infrastructure and clean-up of the Vaal River.

Turning to Gauteng Premier David Makhura and the Executive Mayors present, Mchunu directly threatened to divert national Government grants and funding if they failed to make a contribution to the project.

A Steering Committee consisting of Government at all levels and stakeholders would be established to manage the project and would be expected to pro-actively implement operations.

The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) expressed “cautious optimism” on Mchunu’s approach.

“Showing the political will to change the situation is decisive but many challenges remain, especially if infrastructure security issues can be overcome and if communities can be convinced to cooperate and not sabotage work.

“The key is ongoing and real communication to our communities,” said GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger.