Note to Editors: Please note Hannah Lidgett, MPL sound bite in English
A recent parliamentary reply (view here) to questions posed by the DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has confirmed that only three of eThekwini’s six Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTWs) are operating at full capacity.
This while the remaining facilities – Northern, Umbilo, and Umhlanga are compromised at 50–70% capacity and are only projected to be fully operational until 2027. The DA has submitted follow up parliamentary questions to establish the impact of this diminished operationality and what, if anything, has been done to compensate for this lack of capacity.
The ongoing dysfunction of eThekwini’s WWTWs, amid a litany of environmental crimes committed on the municipality’s watch, is deeply alarming.
The state of the facilities reveals a systemic collapse of basic infrastructure with terrible consequences for river systems, coastal waters, and public health across our province. Despite a Section 28 NEMA directive, issued to compel action after the 2022 floods, the municipality has clearly failed to comply meaningfully.
Of grave concern is that five criminal cases have been opened against eThekwini Municipality for environmental violations across Phoenix, Isipingo, Winklespruit, Verulam, and Umlazi. That KZN’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) has now confirmed these cases proves not only gross negligence, but an active breach of the law.
Regrettably, the department’s response is nothing short of complacent. The DA therefore demands the following;
• Urgent progress updates on repair timelines – currently delayed to as late as 2027 – particularly for the Northern, Umbilo, and Umhlanga WWTWs
• Clear consequences for municipal officials and contractors implicated in mismanagement and;
• Full transparency on why these criminal cases have not progressed to prosecution and whether any consequence management has taken place.
Residents of KZN cannot be expected to accept environmental degradation and collapsing water infrastructure as the new normal. As part of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA will continue to fight for the enforcement of environmental law and the protection of our natural resources from municipal rot.