Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cornél Dreyer
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ramotshere Moiloa has written to Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr. Sello Seitlholo, MP, calling for immediate intervention at the Zeerust Wastewater Treatment Works (ZWWTW).
The DA has raised alarm over the persistent non-compliance and neglect at the Zeerust WWTP, which continues to pollute the Karee Spruit and Klein Marico River. These waterways feed the Klein Marico Poort reservoir, supplying water to a 500-hectare irrigation scheme, only partially functional due to ongoing neglect. The contamination threatens residents’ health, food security, and livelihoods, while millions of rands in infrastructure remain unutilized.
The DA’s letter outlines several serious issues:
- Historical neglect: Designed for 2.5 ML/day, the plant was rated a Critical Risk facility in the 2011 Green Drop Report.
- Oversight failures: Despite ministerial directives, the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality (NMMDM) has failed to refurbish and maintain the plant.
- SAHRC warnings: The South African Human Rights Commission has repeatedly stated that ongoing failures violate residents’ constitutional rights to a healthy environment (Section 24) and sufficient water (Section 27).
- Abandoned upgrades and corruption: A R129 million upgrade in 2019 was left incomplete, with tender irregularities and mismanagement compounding a crisis now affecting over R600 million in wastewater projects across the province.
The ongoing contamination directly affects subsistence farmers and residents relying on the Klein Marico Poort reservoir for food and income. The DA emphasizes that this is not just a local infrastructure failure, it is a constitutional crisis.
The DA is calling on Deputy Minister Seitlholo to take immediate, decisive action to:
- Conduct ministerial oversight of the ZWWTW upgrade and operations.
- Enforce compliance and legal measures against corruption and maladministration.
- Ensure transparent public disclosure of expenditure and progress reports.
- Urgently remediate the plant to safeguard community health and environmental rights.
- Hold accountable contractors, municipal officials, and service providers failing their duties.
The Zeerust Wastewater Treatment Works is failing our communities. Untreated sewage is poisoning rivers, threatening livelihoods, and violating constitutional rights. The time for promises has passed, the Deputy Minister must intervene decisively.
The DA will continue to monitor the situation closely and engage all relevant authorities to ensure urgent resolution in the best interests of Zeerust residents.