The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the decision by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), to issue Kamiesberg Municipality with a notice of intention to commence with legal action regarding the ongoing dysfunctionality of Koingnaas Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW).
This comes after the DA called on the provincial office of DWS in August this year, to urgently act against the municipality for failing to halt the discharge of raw sewage into the veld. At the time, drone footage of the Koingnaas waste-water treatment works also showed how pools of sewage had collected in the area surrounding the WWTW, highlighting the state of disrepair of the sewerage plant.
In correspondence received from DWS, they confirmed that the municipality has shown no progress in fixing the sewerage crisis. This is despite a directive issued to the Municipal Manager, Mr Rufus Beukes, and Kamiesberg Local Municipality in February 2022, and an intention to issue a directive a whole year earlier, in April 2021.
In failing to respond to DWS for years, while also taking no action to contain sewer spillages, Kamiesberg has shown that it does not care for the environment or the people it must serve. It’s decision not to submit plans to DWS for the refurbishment of the WWTW and for the rehabilitation of the affected areas, is further testimony that the municipality disregards its constitutional obligation to maintain functional sanitation systems.
Kamiesberg clearly has no intention to assume its sanitation duties, after four wasted years. Excuses about a lack of funding also hold no water, as the municipality has forgone the opportunity to phase in remedial measures according to available budget.
It is high time that DWS makes use of the law to enforce change management within the institution, that will get the Koingnaas WWTW working again and ensure the sewage contaminated environment is cleaned up.
The DA hopes that criminal charges will be opened against Kamiesberg soon, and we will monitor the situation to ensure that Kamiesberg is held accountable.
Kamiesberg’s lack of action and care must also be a wake-up call to residents, to punish the ANC-run local municipality at the polls in 2026.