Mogale City, dept pass the buck

ISSUES: BUST WATER TREATMENT PLANT, SEWAGE SPILLS

- Thando Nondywana

The community of Mogale City, in the west of Johannesburg, have been subjected to unhygienic conditions for years due to the collapse of the water treatment plant in the region while the city and the department of water and sanitation blame each other for the status quo.

An urgent court application by the department was struck off the court roll on 27 December. But the department says it will pursue legal action against the municipality as it has exhausted all other avenues.

Mandla Mathebula, head of communications in the department, said: "This non-compliance leads to severe pollution of water resources (Bloubank and Blougatspruit) and also has a socioeconomic impact on investors in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation cradle of mankind."

There is sewage spillage into rivers and alleged noncompliance with the water use licence in the municipality. But neither the city, nor the department will take responsibility for the dire situation.