A report this week by the public protector has slammed the Kouga municipality over its faulty sewerage system, but municipal manager Charl du Plessis says the problems have already been fixed.
The public watchdog’s report on the investigation into the state and management of the Jeffreys Bay and KwaNomzamo wastewater treatment plants was released on Wednesday.
The probe was launched after a complaint was lodged in January 2023 with the public protector’s Eastern Cape regional office in Bhisho by Eddie van Rooyen, director of a nonprofit company based in Jeffreys Bay
However, Du Plessis said that through good governance, the municipality had since turned around the situation at both facilities.
He said Kouga had applied for a municipal infrastructure grant to repair the severely damaged KwaNomzamo plant.
It took three years for the application to be approved.
“Despite these delays, Kouga pressed ahead and, after securing R42m in grant funding, successfully upgraded the facility, not only repairing the plant and expanding its processing capacity but also restoring infrastructure that had been further vandalised during a violent protest in 2021 when trucks stationed at the site were set alight and destroyed.
“The official opening of the upgraded KwaNomzamo facility is set to take place on October 27.”
On the Jeffreys Bay plant, Du Plessis said it was operating optimally again, with sewage discharge managed under a water-use licence.
“The plant employs natural reed bed filtration and clarified effluent, which is directed through retention ponds and wetland buffers before entering the environment.”
The public protector’s report gave the municipality 60 days to implement refurbishment plans after an investigation found serious inefficiencies at the two facilities.
Van Rooyen also reported a criminal case against the municipality for environmental pollution on February 28 2023.
Public protector Kholeka Gcaleka noted in the report that, at the time of the complaint, the Jeffreys Bay plant was not operating at full capacity because of outdated infrastructure.
The facility was built in 2012.
“The treatment plant was found to be non-compliant with key provisions of the National Water Act, the National Environmental Management Act and the applicable municipal bylaws,” Gcaleka said in the report.
“During inspections carried out in August and September 2022, [inspectors] determined that the plant was not operating at full capacity and was releasing sewage into adjacent wetlands and river systems, which ultimately feed into the Seekoei River and flows towards the Aston Bay Lagoon in contravention of the National Water Act and the National Environmental Management Act.
“The inspection established that the Jeffreys Bay plant did not adequately treat or disinfect sewage due to the unmonitored outside inlet, lack of plant maintenance, lack of chlorine and the absence of a backup generator when there is a power outage.”
The KwaNomzamo plant was found to be poorly maintained and operating below capacity due to administrative failings dating back to 2016.
This led to sewage spills and untreated water flowing from the facility through the streets towards the Polar Park informal settlement and into Dieklen Farm.
Gcaleka said this resulted in pollution and posed a danger to public health and the safety of the environment.
The report noted the remedial steps taken by the municipality, including refurbishments, upgrading mechanical components to boost capacity and reallocating resources to prioritise water and sanitation services.
The Herald
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