Decades of neglect have left Buffalo City Metro’s water and sewerage systems on the brink of collapse, with officials now seeking R10bn, with private sector help, to bring failing treatment plants back up to standard.
While the metro needs more than R4bn for infrastructure upgrades at its 15 wastewater treatment works plants to achieve Green Drop status, the rest of the funds needed are to ensure sustainable service delivery and to address significant infrastructure backlogs.
This was revealed by city manager Mxolisi Yawa in a report tabled at a recent council meeting.
He said cable theft and infrastructure vandalism were major contributory factors to the current problems.
The investment would also be used to meet the performance and compliance requirements of the trading service reform programme now being implemented by the National Treasury.
While the city had ambitious plans to get its water and sanitation infrastructure in order within the next few years, the plans could be hampered by limited finances.
Yawa proposed that public-private partnerships and “other infrastructure investment models” be explored.
He said the R10bn investment needed in the next six years “is essential to achieve regulatory targets such as Green Drop certification and to ensure sustainable service delivery”.
“Given the scale of the financial requirement, it is imperative that the municipality seriously explores blended financing mechanisms, including the introduction of public-private partnerships and alternative infrastructure investment models.
“Leveraging such financing approaches will be critical to mobilising the capital needed for infrastructure upgrades, while maintaining fiscal sustainability and enhancing resilience of municipal services.”
Yawa said the metro’s performance in the recent Green Drop assessments, conducted in April, with the results expected between November and January 2026, were expected to be poor.
In 2008, the national department of water and sanitation introduced the Green Drop certification programme to improve wastewater management across SA.
When the first Green Drop assessments were done in the 2009/2010 financial year, 123 wastewater treatment systems in the province were assessed, with 13 of the metro’s 15 plants part of the process.
Only three of the province’s 123 plants received Green Drop certification, two of them in Buffalo City Metro.
In 2020/2021, a similar assessment was done, but not one of the 123 wastewater treatment works qualified for Green Drop certification.
Yawa said BCM performance in the 2025 assessments “is expected to decline sharply, primarily due to the widespread cable theft and vandalism affecting critical wastewater infrastructure”.
“These challenges severely hindered operations, and as a result, the municipality was unable to submit credible information during the Green Drop assessment process in April.”
BCM manages a reticulation network spanning about 2,442km, including 96 sewage pump stations and 15 wastewater treatment plants.
The water use licences had expired at 12 of the city’s plants, with only three now in good standing.
While R4bn was needed “for the renewal, upgrading, and rationalisation of wastewater treatment plants”, the city’s sewer network renewal backlog was estimated at about R3bn”, an amount not included in the R4bn figure.
“It is therefore evident that a substantial investment is required if the municipality is to achieve Green Drop certification across all its wastewater catchments.”
Yawa said achieving full Green Drop certification within the next six years was a key performance requirement which, if not achieved, “could have implications for future conditional grant allocations”.
Only four of the metro’s 15 wastewater treatment plants are fully operational, with many vandalised, unlicensed and out of service.
Border-Kei Chamber of Business infrastructure committee chair Annemarie Fish said the lack of bulk infrastructure or the limited capacity of existing systems “hinders the development of new townships and estates”.
She said the quality of municipal infrastructure was a key factor for businesses when choosing an investment location.
“Investing in infrastructure through public-private partnerships can unlock property development and human settlements, and contribute to creating a healthier and safer environment.”
It is clear that government alone cannot carry the burden
Environment educator and community leader Dean Knox said there was no doubt the metro needed considerable investment in its failing sewerage infrastructure.
“There has been insufficient maintenance, repair and improvement in infrastructure for the past 30 years.
“During this time, there has been rapid urbanisation, population growth, urban sprawl and densification ... Also essential is that provision is made for infrastructure security to protect the investment from vandalism and theft.”
DA councillor Anathi Majeke was, however, unimpressed with the plans for PPPs.
“The city cannot afford the huge costs of this overhaul, which do not even account for the decommissioning of some wastewater treatment plants.
“The funds for these projects, including those for electricity and water infrastructure, must come from substantial grants from the National Treasury, and this will mean that the city deals with its financial issues.”
She said it was not clear the private sector had an appetite to fund such projects with a municipality known for poor project management skills.
The Black Business Forum, which supports the public-private partnership approach, said collaboration could transform BCM’s water and sanitation infrastructure.
Its president, Luthando Bara, said: “It is clear that government alone cannot carry the burden.
“PPPs provide an opportunity to unlock private capital, technical expertise and operational efficiency while ensuring that water and decent sanitation services remain a public good accessible to all.”
Environmental activist Christo Theart said a PPP arrangement could work.
Daily Dispatch
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