Buffalo City Metro has again come under criticism for the state of the Schornville sewer plant, which is said to be causing spillages into water sources in Qonce.
This follows an oversight visit by the official opposition, the DA, to the Schornville plant and the Zwelitsha Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant last week.
The Schornville plant, which has been non-operational since 2011, continues to release untreated sewage directly into the Buffalo River, according to residents who joined the oversight visit.
They say on-going discharge is polluting the water system, killing aquatic life, and endangering communities that rely on the river for daily use.
A resident who wanted to remain anonymous said they have been inhaling unpleasant stench for years, and had lost hope of the matter ever being fixed.
He said: “Our children and elderly people are falling sick on a daily basis. The smell is unbearable, especially when there has been heavy rainfall and it overflows. We have been complaining about this matter, but our cries fall on deaf ears.”
DA member of the provincial legislature, Leander Kruger, said: “What we witnessed was failure through sustained mismanagement and paralysis at the municipal level. The municipality has abandoned its duty of care to the people of Qonce, and the consequences are devastating.”
Kruger further criticised BCM for lifting a moratorium on new construction in Qonce among other things.
“This means that as new developments come online, the ecological disaster will only intensify,” he said.
Kruger said: “The Schornville plant remains vandalised and unmaintained after the municipality halted upkeep in anticipation of Zwelitsha coming online, a milestone that has still not been achieved.”
He said the DA was demanding that BCMM publish a full audit of all expenditure related to both Schornville. The party said it would push the issue in council, the Eastern Cape Legislature and in parliament.
“If BCM does not act, we will have no choice but to lay charges under section 151 of the National Water Act for the unlawful discharge of untreated effluent into a protected water resource,” Kruger said.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party member, Mzwandile Vaaiboom, said he visited the water treatment plants two years ago, and has been raising the issue with the city manager, but has not received a solid solution to the matter.
“Priority will be given to maintaining our existing assets so that they serve our communities and stakeholders well. Vandalism and theft are among the pressure points that must be urgently addressed,”
— Faku
Vaaiboom said: “People and livestock consume water from the Buffalo River, and farmers from Ginsberg area are complaining, because they are losing livestock, as they fall sick and die after drinking from the river.
“The contaminated water directly affects the human rights of residents, because they are depriving people of clean water and do not care about people’s dignity.”
When contacted, BCM spokesperson, Bongani Fuzile, confirmed that the city was aware of the problem and referred the Dispatch to a statement mayor Princess Faku made during an oversight visit to the city by Scopa in March.
At the time, Faku said the municipality was already taking steps to stabilise water and wastewater infrastructure, adding that the crisis was a top priority for the administration.
She said: “We have called for forensic investigations to get to the bottom of systemic failures, and we convened a council lekgotla on March 19, where we assessed challenges confronting the city and identified solutions.”
Faku said maintaining existing infrastructure and combating vandalism are central to the city’s plan.
“Priority will be given to maintaining our existing assets so that they serve our communities and stakeholders well. Vandalism and theft are among the pressure points that must be urgently addressed,” she said.
Faku said the city’s capacity was severely strained.
“Buffalo City has 15 wastewater treatment works. Only four are fully operational, five have been completely vandalised, and 12 are non-compliant,” she said.
“We need approximately R464m for security, repairs and maintenance,” said Faku.
Regarding the Zwelitsha Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, a key project intended to serve Bhisho, Qonce and surrounding villages, the mayor said it remained central to the city’s long-term planning.
“This project is critical in unlocking socioeconomic development and improving the living conditions of the people of Qonce and surrounding areas,” Faku said.
While the municipality has outlined plans to stabilise services, the DA maintains that urgent action is needed to halt ongoing pollution of the Buffalo River and to restore functionality at Schornville until Zwelitsha is completed.
Kruger said the oversight visit demonstrated the scale of the crisis.
“The inspection exposed a government that has allowed a crisis to fester unchecked for more than a decade. We will use every parliamentary and legal mechanism available to compel accountability and protect affected communities.”
The unfolding situation places renewed pressure on BCMM to speed up interventions and address long-standing infrastructure failures affecting thousands of residents.
Daily Dispatch
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