Sewage is Wrecking South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, Ramaphosa Says

The collapse of infrastructure in Mogale City to the west of Johannesburg has seen the municipality release raw sewage into the Vaal River System, from which Johannesburg and other major cities draw the bulk of their supplies, according to News24, a South African news site. The effluent also flows into residential areas and the Hartbeespoort Dam. Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that the reports are accurate.

It “is adversely impacting the Cradle of Humankind, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site,” the presidency said in a statement Wednesday. “This situation poses a serious risk to human health, agriculture, economic activity and the environment.”

South African municipalities have struggled with water-related problems due to mismanagement and years of underinvestment. In 2023 Tshwane, which includes the capital of Pretoria, battled the country’s worst cholera outbreak in 15 years in an incident that authorities tied to an overloaded waste-water system.

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Ramaphosa has asked Gauteng province Premier Panyaza Lesufi to work with the municipality to repair the Percy Steward wastewater treatment plant, the presidency said. Since 2019, the Department of Water and Sanitation has issued Mogale City with notices to stem the pollution but it has failed to comply.

The department laid criminal charges for sewage pollution against the municipality in August 2023, and police are still compiling a case docket.

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Sewage is Wrecking South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, Ramaphosa Says

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