In an act of desperation, a rural Eastern Cape farming community has written to the national department of forestry, fisheries and the environment complaining it is being forced to drink river water contaminated by raw sewage from overflowing sewage ponds.
The community recently wrote to the department’s deputy director-general for regulatory compliance and sector monitoring, Vanessa Bendeman. The Dispatch has a copy of the letter.
The residents of several villages on the rural outskirts of Mbizana — under the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality — said overflowing sewage ponds built by the Alfred Nzo District Municipality were discharging raw effluent into a tributary that fed the Mthamvuna River, used as a source of drinking water by many communities in the area.
The letter was written by Thembalihle Communal Property Association secretary Mzi Sontsele. The Mthamvuna River discharges into the Wild Coast.
The Thembalihle CPA lodged a land claim with the government, claiming rightful ownership of vast tracts of land in Mbizana including the CBD.
“The community is concerned about risks to human and animal health, as well as environmental damage.
“Our cattle rely on this river and during municipal water cuts, especially in winter, as we residents are forced to use it.
“We respectfully request an immediate investigation into this matter and the implementation of effective remedial measures.
“The ongoing contamination not only jeopardises the health and livelihoods of families who depend on the river’s water but also threatens the ecological integrity of the broader region.”
On Wednesday, Sontsele said at least seven villages were dependent on the river for drinking water.
Attempts to get a comment from the national department were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
But Winnie Madikizela-Mandela municipality mayor Daniswa Mafumbatha confirmed they were aware of the problem.
The municipality had held a meeting with the affected community where the issue was presented.
She then referred questions to the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, saying it was responsible for the provision of water and sanitation in the area.
Meanwhile, the Dispatch has seen a recent public notice issued by the district authority warning communities against drinking water from the Ntshamathe River as it was contaminated.
Three villages affected were Ntshamathe, Mhlanga and Nikhwe.
The notice said: “If one happens to use this river, which is not recommended, they must use household purification measures such as a teaspoon of regular Jik in 20l of water and wait for 12 hours to consume it.”
Sontsele said the situation was made worse by the fact that Mbizana did not have a sewerage system.
A municipal water treatment works plant that was constructed in 2019 to provide a proper system for the town remained incomplete, he said.
Alfred Nzo municipal spokesperson Luncedo Walaza dismissed the claim, saying the Nomlacu water treatment works plant was fully operational.
“Those claims are not true. The Daily Dispatch can visit the plant any time to verify such facts.”
He said the villages affected by the contamination of the Ntshamathe river had access to clean water from a fully functioning water scheme.
“The district municipality continuously conducted awareness campaigns to educate the villagers about the dangers of drinking contaminated water and also to take care of the animals, Walaza said.
Daily Dispatch
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