The Water and Sanitation Department has initiated criminal proceedings against municipalities nationwide for violating environmental and water laws. These municipalities are responsible for sewage spills and fail to comply with government directives for cleanup.
Last month, the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in Mpumalanga was fined R200 million for discharging raw sewage into rivers.
Anet Muir, the department’s Chief Director for water regulation compliance, explains the process: first, the department issues administrative action notices to non-compliant municipalities. If there's no response or action taken, directives are issued. Failure to comply with directives results in the department opening criminal cases.
Intergovernmental meetings are held to ensure support for municipalities to improve their performance.
