The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is strengthening its law enforcement because of widespread, critical and worsening sewage pollution by municipalities.

The meeting took place at Ifafi Aquatic Club.

Anet Muir, chief director of water use compliance and enforcement, said that because of this widespread pollution, civil society had started to take legal action against the department for not enforcing the National Water Act to prevent sewage pollution. She was speaking to stakeholders during a visit by DWS deputy minister Isaac Seitlholo to assess the remediation programme of Hartbeespoort Dam.
“DWS currently has 113 criminal cases against municipalities investigated by environmental management inspectors of DWS and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the police. DWS has also started to lay charges against individual municipal managers.”
She said Magalies Water is assisting with the identification of pollution hotspots.
Five facilities in the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment area were audited. “Some were follow-up audits on previous inspections. “In November 2024, Sangiro Chickens, TCL Vlakplaats, NCP Chlorchem, AECI Explosives and Necsa were inspected with varying levels of compliance. Standard operating procedures are being followed to improve compliance,” Muir said. Routine monitoring since 2022 also includes the inspection of 36 mines and 11 malls, resorts and estates.
Six wastewater treatment works in Madibeng were identified as performing poorly in 2022. These include Brits, Letlhabile, Hartbeespoort, Eagles Landing, Sunway, and Mothutlung. Madibeng failed to submit corrective action plans for its three critical systems. Notices were issued for Letlhabile and Mothutlung in 2023 and 2024, and Eagles Landing received a directive in February 2025.
According to Muir’s presentation, farmers in the area are forced to use expensive water treatment processes before using water for irrigation. “Some of the big retailers cancelled their food supply contracts with farmers because of health issues due to toxins in water from the Hartbeespoort Dam.