We Need to Make Sewage Sexy

GOOD Statement by Kaden Arguile, GOOD National Youth Chairperson:

Waste management rarely makes headlines, and let’s be honest, dealing with human excrement isn’t exactly glamorous. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: every single one of us produces waste, and in a civilised society, that waste must be treated and disposed of properly. Failure to do so results in contamination, disease, environmental degradation, and ultimately, human suffering. Sanitation is not just a technical issue; it is the thin, vital line between dignity and disaster.

In 2025, South Africa faces a triple threat to its sanitation integrity:

1. Pollution of rivers and oceans by untreated waste
2. Declining water quality for both human consumption and agriculture
3. Biodiversity loss due to the collapse of waste management infrastructure

Each of these is a flashing red light, warning signs of a system in decay.

We cannot bury our heads in the sand while one of our most precious resources, clean water, is compromised. If we are truly committed to correcting the housing injustices of apartheid, which will inevitably lead to increased urbanisation, our waste management systems must be upgraded and maintained. Growth requires infrastructure.

Take, for example, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the largest water infrastructure effort in the country. One of its contractors was fired for dumping oily and acidic wastewater into local rivers and the Katse Dam, endangering communities and costing 1,400 workers their jobs. That’s not just environmental damage, it’s economic sabotage.

In Cape Town, the Black River flows through densely populated areas, touching the lives of thousands daily. Yet recent water tests revealed the presence of E. coli, un-ionised ammonia, and dangerously low oxygen levels. These toxins don’t just stay in the water; they make their way into our bodies. Groote Schuur Hospital has already seen a spike in cases linked to chemical exposure.

In rural areas, the situation is often worse. In the North West’s Tswaing Local Municipality, sewage runs through the streets due to the total collapse of local governance. This is not an outlier. Infrastructure breakdowns in small towns and villages threaten not only water safety but our entire food system.

Vegetables don’t grow without water, millions of litres of it, every single day. A large amount of that water is recycled wastewater or from a source shared with a waste management facility. But recent research by the University of Pretoria shows leafy vegetables are being contaminated with pathogens due to dirty irrigation water. Whether it’s drawn from rivers, boreholes, or recycled sources, poor maintenance and mismanagement have rendered it unsafe.

We’ve seen what failure looks like, just ask the people of Hammanskraal, who suffered and died from waterborne disease. We should not need more tragedies to spur us into action.

And it’s not just humans paying the price. Nature suffers in silence. In Knysna, untreated sewage has pushed the Knysna seahorse to the brink of extinction. In the Northern Cape, 36 megalitres of sewage are pumped daily into a key breeding ground for the lesser flamingo, one of only four in the world. A court had to force intervention, but by then, the damage was done. Thousands of baby birds dead. A natural wonder, and potential tourism boon, lost.

Sewage kills. It kills ecosystems, it kills economies, and it kills people.

We cannot allow our sanitation systems to collapse completely. A national waste revival project is no longer optional, it is essential. And it must start now.

We must shed the stigma and make sanitation a priority, not a punchline. Creating a culture of apathy around sewage is a gamble we cannot afford. If we don’t fix this, the youth will inherit a toxic legacy,a country drowning in the consequences of our inaction.

Let’s get real. Let’s get dirty. Let’s make sewage sexy.

GOOD Manifesto on Inclusivity: The party aims to be inclusive, representing all demographics regardless of race or gender.

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