Raw sewage still flowing into Vaal River despite court ruling, government visits - IOL
Klerksdorp Wastewater Treatment Plant has not been functioning since 2023 resulting in untreated sewage into the Vaal River.
Despite several visits by government departments and a court ruling the Klerksdorp Wastewater Treatment Plant is still spilling untreated sewage into the Vaal River.
Jack Bloom, the Deputy Minister of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), is expected to conduct an oversight visit to the plant to see the pollution situation firsthand on Monday. He said the treatment plant has not been functioning since 2023. It has been reported that sewage flows from the plant into the Skoonspruit, which joins the Vaal River a few kilometres downstream.
In May 2026, Delegates of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) participating in the Taking Parliament to the People programme raised concerns about worsening river pollution and collapsing wastewater infrastructure in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality.
During a visit to the treatment plant, delegates were also told that the estimated cost to refurbish the plant is approximately R400 million, while no funding has been allocated for rehabilitation.
The DWS reported that they issued non-compliance notices to the municipality in 2018 and 2021, and subsequently opened a criminal case against the municipality in February 2026.
Speaking during the oversight visit, Dennis Ryder described the state of the Klerksdorp Wastewater Treatment Plant as “a crime scene”, saying the scale of neglect and infrastructure collapse was deeply alarming.
The NCOP reported that the delegation observed that workers are forced to manually separate waste at inlet points because machinery is no longer functional. Concerns were also raised about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure after delegates discovered that the facility has no perimeter fencing, leaving it exposed to vandalism and theft.
Maritha Coetzee – DA PR Councillor, City of Matlosana Local Municipality, said theinfrastructure failures affecting the communities of Hartbeesfontein and Tigane pose a direct and escalating threat to residents, livestock, and local ecosystems.
“The contamination has extended to boreholes relied upon by households and farmers, creating life-threatening conditions for those dependent on groundwater. The continued discharge of untreated sewage does not comply with required legal standards and poses significant risks to human health, agriculture, and the environment,” Coetzee said.
She stated that residents and animals are exposed to raw sewage, maggot infestations near blocked infrastructure, and a range of airborne and waterborne health hazards.
AfriForum’s Klerksdorp branch stated that the plant remains non-operational and lacks any treatment capacity. The organisation further demands that the municipality commission independent water sampling, disclose its water use authorisation and effluent test results, notify downstream communities of the pollution, and commence rehabilitation of the polluted watercourse.
Steve Scott, Chairperson of AfriForum’s Klerksdorp branch, believes the municipality’s handling of the problem to date leaves much to be desired.“We are not merely dealing with another service delivery failure here; this pollution poses a serious threat to public health, the environment, and water security, and the municipality must now intervene and take responsibility for this disaster,” says Scott.
The story will be updated once Bloom completes his oversight visit.
