The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has criticised the Emfuleni and Merafong municipalities for not doing enough to fix ongoing water shortages, sewage spills and communities relying on water tankers for years.
Acting Gauteng provincial manager at the SAHRC, Khululiwe Sithole, accused Emfuleni municipality of failing to respond properly to residents’ complaints about water and sanitation problems.
Sithole told a hearing the commission regularly receives complaints from residents through different platforms, including messages, pictures and videos sent after hours and on weekends.
She said conditions in some areas were unacceptable, with sewage flowing through communities and entering people’s homes.
“If you drive across the municipality, people are literally living in a sewer,” Sithole said.
Merafong municipal representatives Ntokozo Gubevu and Lehlohonolo Moreki appeared before the inquiry and said the municipality spends about R700,000 a month on water tankers.
Moreki told the hearing water tankers were brought in during water restrictions, especially in Kokosi extensions 4, 5 and 6. He said service providers had been appointed to supply water to affected communities during the crisis.
Gubevu said many of the municipality’s water systems are reliant on ageing pipes and old technology that needs to be replaced.
He told the inquiry the municipality was working with stakeholders, including the department of water and sanitation, to address some of the long-standing challenges.
SAHRC chairperson Henk Boschoff said: “I am deeply concerned by Merafong. It seems to me individuals are benefiting from the situation and the services being provided while communities are suffering.”
Tensions rose during the proceedings when Emfuleni municipal manager April Ntuli suggested informal settlements had placed additional pressure on the municipality’s water systems.
Sithole rejected the explanation, saying informal settlements could not be blamed for the wider failures.
“We have active investigations where people are saying they’ve been in the informal settlements for more than 10 years,” Sithole said.
Ntuli said some settlements needed to be formalised before permanent services could be introduced.
“The plan is to formalise the areas first before we can put in formal infrastructure services,” Ntuli said.
Sithole said the commission needed clear evidence of progress and timelines instead of broad assurances from the municipality.
In contrast, the SAHRC said it had received very few complaints related to water and sanitation services in the Midvaal municipality.
The Gauteng provincial office also commended the municipality for responding quickly to complaints and engaging openly with the commission.
Commissioners questioned the long delayed wastewater treatment works project at Meyerton, which was initially expected to be completed in 2017.
Midvaal municipality manager Phumudzo Magodi said the project was funded through the regional bulk infrastructure grant and managed by the department of water and sanitation, with Rand Water acting as the implementing agent.
He said Midvaal was only a beneficiary and was not directly involved in implementing the project.
The national deputy minister of water and sanitation, Sello Seitlholo, conducted an oversight visit at the R220m project in mid-April. The upgrade is required to assist the municipality to comply with effluent discharge standards and improve sanitation services. Two phases of the project have been completed.
Magodi said the municipality was facing pressure from rapid population growth, especially because of developments such as Savannah City, while operating with limited staff.
He said Midvaal, which covers about 1,800km², had about 800 employees serving about 150,000 residents and 40,000 households.
The municipality also faces challenges linked to dolomitic land, which has resulted in sinkholes in some areas.
Magodi said the municipality was supplying water to 47 informal settlements through tankers while exploring the permanent groundwater solutions.
He said the municipality’s biggest water challenge was its dependence on Rand Water’s system.
“If anything happens at Rand Water, whether it’s power or a mechanical issue, we are immediately affected,” he said.
Magodi said the municipality was working with Rand Water on reclamation projects to improve future water supply and reduce pressure on existing systems.
Despite the challenges, Midvaal reported strong financial management.
The inquiry heard the municipality spent more than the recommended benchmark on infrastructure maintenance and repairs, with maintenance expenditure standing above 10% compared with the national norm percentage of 8%.
He admitted sewage spillages do happen in the municipality but said they were dealt with quickly and reported to the national department.
He said: “We report ourselves. We fix within a certain time, a reasonable time, and we have never really caused any harm to a community.”
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