Corruption, dysfunctional incompetence, massive pollution crisis

Opinion by FF Plus

Corruption, dysfunctional  incompetence, massive pollution crisis
Corruption, dysfunctional incompetentence, massive pollution crisis

The death of the fish in the Vaal River serves as proof of the severe pollution that is jeopardising this water system’s entire ecosystem, while a seemingly indifferent government keeps denying that there is a real problem threatening the lives of the people and animals that are dependent on the water.

Even though the pollution of the water system is well documented, the national Department of Water and Sanitation is still trying to cover up the problem by alleging that the fish are dying as a result of a drop in temperature and a lack of oxygen in the water.

The truth, however, is that the pollution of the Vaal River and other sources of water in the country is simply a consequence of the incompetence, mismanagement and corruption that is causing municipalities across the country to collapse.

The only solution for South Africa’s sewage crisis is to privatise sewage plants. The FF Plus demands that sewage plants must be transferred to the hands of expert and competent companies so that these plants can be properly regulated and managed according to sound business principles.

Any form of intervention, as in the case of the Sebokeng Scheme, is useless seeing as the ANC government is not capable of managing municipalities effectively. The current chaos in local government is much more serious than a mere chronic lack of service delivery.

The FF Plus takes note of the undertaking of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Gugile Nkwinti, to approach President Cyril Ramaphosa with the request to declare the Sebokeng Regional Sewer Scheme (SRSS) a national key point.

In doing so the Minister aims to increase security measures at the SRSS in order to ultimately ensure better functioning of the facility.

Declaring the SRSS a national key point will, however, not solve the problem of a lack of expertise and competence to manage the sewage plant properly.

The municipalities that are located close to the most important sources of water in the country are causing most of the pollution in the rivers and water sources. Examples include sewage plants and industries in Emfuleni (Vereeniging), Ngwathe (Parys), Mafube (Frankfort) and Moqhaka (Kroonstad).

Dumping sewage in important water sources, like the Vaal River, the Vals River and the Wilge River, is extremely irresponsible and is nothing short of sabotaging one of our country’s most valuable resources.

The ANC controlled municipalities clearly do not have the political will or the ability to solve the problem.
Excuses of broken pumps, infrastructure that is old and in disrepair and a lack of financial and other resources are often made, while municipalities are frequently guilty of underspending their conditional infrastructure allocations.

The FF Plus has already lodged various complaints with the Mafube Local Municipality about the pollution of the Wilge River at Frankfort.

The Minister of Cooperative Governance, Zweli Mkhize, was also asked to intervene at municipalities like Emfuleni, Ngwathe, Moqhaka and others that are guilty of the same sort of malpractices.

The FF Plus will table a motion in Parliament in an attempt to bring about the privatisation of sewage plants.

Read the original article in Afrikaans by Wouter Wessels on FF Plus

South Africa Today – South Africa News

Emfuleni experiencing a humanitarian crisis

ANC’s Emfuleni municipal region in total collapse

SOURCEFF Plus