After more than five years of constant pressure from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging) will finally appear in court on 3 March 2026 to explain why millions of litres of untreated sewage are ending up in the Vaal River every day.
The Freedom Front Plus lodged a formal complaint with the Green Scorpions and requested an investigation as far back as May 2020.
A criminal charge was simultaneously lodged at the Vanderbijlpark Police Station against the then administrator. The name of the current Municipal Manager, April Ntuli, was later added to the charge sheet for contraventions of the National Water Act and other relevant environmental legislation.
The sewage system had collapsed in 2018 already due to continuous neglect and a lack of maintenance.
Sewage flowed freely through streets, homes, cemeteries and roads into the Vaal River and its tributaries.
Year in and year out, the Council simply ignored the Freedom Front Plus’s repeated warnings regarding health and environmental risks.
The party also brought the matter to the attention of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), which conducted a thorough investigation and subsequently declared the pollution a violation of residents’ constitutional right to a healthy environment and clean water.
The Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the national Department of Water and Sanitation have officially held Emfuleni accountable for its catastrophic pollution.
The Freedom Front Plus views the Green Scorpions’ intervention as an important victory for the party, sending a clear message to Emfuleni that it will no longer get away with failing to maintain infrastructure.
The party hereby also demonstrates that it will not shirk its oversight role, but will keep holding Emfuleni accountable for maladministration.
