Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu is expected to file a detailed affidavit outlining all the measures taken by the department in respect of the Vaal River pollution intervention.
This follows a court order on the application filed by a non-governmental organisation, Save The Vaal Environment, against the Water and Sanitation Minister regarding concerns about “the discharge of raw or inadequately treated sewage by Emfuleni Local Municipality from its wastewater care and management scheme into the Rietspruit River and/or the Klip River and/or the Vaal River and/or the Vaal River Catchment Area”.
The department said the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg) has, as per the agreement between the parties, ordered that Mchunu file an affidavit outlining all the measures taken to date in respect of the Minister’s Vaal River intervention, in terms of Section 63 of the Water Services Act, 1997.
“The agreement was made an order of the court and the notice thereof was given on 26 June 2023,” the department said in a statement.
Under Section 63 of the Vaal Intervention, one of the ministry’s priority projects in Gauteng includes the upgrading of water infrastructure, refurbishment, operations and maintenance, sustainability, water conservation, water demand management, and advocacy within the Vaal area.
“This is meant to deal with urgent matters relating to security of supply and more urgently, matters relating to the pollution of the Vaal River, and enhancement of capacity for the embattled Emfuleni Local Municipality.
“Rand Water, as the implementing agent, was formally appointed on 5 October 2021,” the department said.
The department said Mchunu will be filing a detailed affidavit, including pace updates on the various elements of the intervention, amongst others. – SAnews.gov.za
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