The Democratic Alliance (DA) has laid criminal charges against the Koukamma Municipality due to its inaction, as raw sewage continues to flow through the streets of Kagiso Heights in Kareedouw, posing a significant risk to residents’ health and safety while contaminating the Krom River, a crucial Eastern Cape waterway.
On 18 March 2025, I wrote to the Koukamma Municipal Manager, highlighting the urgent need to address a dysfunctional sewage pump station and leaking underground sewage pipeline in Kagiso Heights. I demanded a response within seven days, warning that failure to comply would result in criminal charges.
Having received no response, we took decisive action today by laying criminal charges against the Municipal Manager and the Executive Mayor at the Kareedouw Police Station for violating the National Water Act and the National Environmental Management Act.
During a recent oversight inspection, we found that the pump station, despite a costly multimillion-rand upgrade and solar panel equipment, is non-operational. The broken sewage pipe feeding the pump station has caused raw sewage to visibly seep from the ground in the residential area.
What may seem like an isolated rural issue has significant downstream consequences. Untreated sewage flows directly into a nearby stream, which feeds into the Krom River. The Krom River ultimately flows to the Impofu and Churchill dams.
Despite having ample water, the Koukamma Municipality is crippled by a severe water and sanitation crisis, exposing the ANC-led government’s gross incompetence and negligence in maintaining and upgrading infrastructure.
Laying criminal charges was the only recourse, as the law prohibits any person from unlawfully and intentionally or negligently polluting or degrading a water resource or the environment. Those found guilty face fines or imprisonment.
The DA remains committed to serving Koukamma’s residents and holding accountable those who violate their rights to clean water and healthy living conditions.