KOINGNAAS, Northern Cape — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has officially filed criminal charges against the Kamiesberg Municipality and its top leadership, escalating a long-running battle over severe environmental degradation caused by relentless raw sewage spillages. The legal action specifically targets the municipal manager, the mayor, and the director of technical services, citing alleged violations of national water and waste management laws.
This decisive legal maneuver is the DA’s attempt to place necessary pressure on the local government to finally rectify the ongoing ecological disaster.
Escalating Legal Action Over Environmental Violations
The criminal charges stem from the municipality’s continuous failure to permanently resolve the discharge and illegal dumping of raw sewage from the Koingnaas Waste-Water Treatment Works (WWTW) into the surrounding veld and natural environment.
According to the DA, the municipal leadership is facing allegations of breaching two critical pieces of environmental legislation: the National Water Act 36 of 1998 and the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008. The party argues that the continued release of untreated sewage near Koingnaas presents a severe and unacceptable risk to both public health and the local ecosystem.
Years of Ignored Directives and Systemic Failure
The infrastructure at the heart of this crisis, the Koingnaas Waste-Water Treatment Works, has been completely dysfunctional since before 2021. Despite the critical nature of the facility, absolutely no meaningful progress has been made to restore its operations.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) first issued a notice of intention to issue a directive under Section 19(3) of the National Water Act to the municipality on April 19, 2021. However, in the years following this notice, the local government has displayed a pattern of non-compliance. Despite subsequent oversight interventions, formal directives, and threats of legal action, the municipality has repeatedly failed to:
- Halt the ongoing sewer spillages.
- Execute necessary repairs on the WWTW.
- Submit a viable, workable plan to prevent future incidents.
- Appoint a registered professional to design and implement a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the polluted areas.
Inspections Confirm Ongoing Ecological Disaster
Independent and governmental audits have consistently painted a bleak picture of the municipality’s environmental management. Green Drop inspections conducted in both August 2024 and August 2025 verified that zero meaningful progress had been achieved. The reports confirmed that the Koingnaas WWTW remains entirely dysfunctional and continues to actively pollute the surrounding environment.
These findings were echoed by the Northern Cape Department of Water and Sanitation in September of last year. Their assessment found the facility to be completely inoperable, noting that raw sewage continues to pool dangerously in the area. Furthermore, ongoing independent oversight by the DA has consistently corroborated these findings, showing that the treatment works remain broken.
Demanding Accountability and Environmental Justice
With administrative and regulatory avenues failing to yield results, the DA has pivoted to criminal prosecution.
“We have proceeded with criminal charges because the continued discharge of untreated sewage near Koingnaas poses a serious risk to public health and the environment,” the party stated regarding the escalation.
The DA maintains that this legal action is a necessary step to force the Kamiesberg Municipality to finally fix and rehabilitate the Koingnaas WWTW, thereby putting an definitive end to the pollution. Moving forward, the party has pledged to continue fighting for a safe, healthy, and dignified environment for all residents, ensuring that the officials responsible for years of unchecked sewage pollution are held strictly accountable under the law.
