Dear Editor
Broken municipalities across the Eastern Cape that are led by a broken party are resulting in the collapse of services and the destruction of job opportunities.
The ongoing collapse of Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) facilities across the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) continues to result in raw sewage spills polluting the environment and numerous freshwater sources. On a daily basis, people must navigate their way across rivers and dams of sewage, while the pollution of freshwater sources is wreaking havoc in the Great Fish River.
On Friday, 24 September 2021, I was joined by DA Inxuba Yethemba Mayoral Candidate, Cllr Monde Desha, in laying criminal charges against the CHDM Municipal Manager at the Cradock Police Station. The charges were laid against him in his capacity as accounting officer for the district. Charges were laid in terms of section 151 of the National Water Act for failure to adhere to non-compliance notices regarding pollution, and failure to act on directives issued by the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). According to the Act, this is an offence that could result in a fine and/or imprisonment. (see pictures here and here)
Information sourced by the DA from a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application, indicates that since 2017 non-compliance notices regarding pollution have been issued by the DWS in almost every town in the district. At least seven directives to stop pollution resulting from failing WWTW were issued. The PAIA application further revealed that at least eight freshwater rivers, of which one is the Fish River and others are tributaries to the Fish River, are being polluted by raw sewage.
The situation in CHDM is a result of allowing infrastructure to deteriorate to a point of complete collapse. It is clear that CHDM is either unwilling to deal with or incapable of dealing with this disaster of its own making. The water and sanitation function is best managed by local municipalities that have increased capacity to deal with issues that have a major health impact on communities in large districts.
Polluted water sources and raw sewage pose a massive health hazard to people living in this district and can, therefore, also have a far-reaching negative impact on the local economy.
The DA gets things done and DA governments have proved that they know how to deliver water and sanitation services.
In the DA-governed Kouga Municipality two brand new state-of-the-art waste water treatment works have been constructed since the DA took over in 2016. In Nelson Mandela Bay, where the DA governs with coalition partners, we have resolved more than 13 300 sewage complaints since 1 January 2021.
Our 2021 Local Government Elections Manifesto states that we will ensure that every community has access to reliable, clean, running water, that is safe to drink and to prepare food. And that there is no untreated waste water contaminating the environment, homes, streets, and sidewalks.
Because where the DA governs, we get things done.
Regards
Vicky Knoetze, MPL
DA EC Shadow MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA)