The Democratic Alliance (DA) will raise ongoing sewage pollution at the Cape Recife Nature Reserve in Gqeberha at the next meeting of the Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Standing Committee and will urge CoGTA MEC Zolile Williams to intervene without delay.
I will also engage the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, to request direct departmental intervention in Nelson Mandela Bay to restore the municipality’s wastewater treatment works to acceptable standards.
Treated or partially treated sewage continues to be discharged into the sea from the Cape Recife Wastewater Treatment Works, which is aging, poorly maintained, and mismanaged. Furthermore, leaks at the plant have caused effluent to spill onto the beach, forming a river of pollution that flows directly into the ocean.
Today, we conducted an oversight inspection at the Cape Recife Wastewater Treatment Works and the beach. We also found that the flow of sewage is causing significant damage to roads and walkways in the area.
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I recently also conducted an oversight inspection at Brighton Beach in Gqeberha, which has been closed to the public for over six months due to raw sewage flowing into the sea from the Fishwater Flats Wastewater Treatment Works. The beach remains closed.
Today’s oversight inspection at Cape Recife yet again underscores that wastewater treatment facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay continue to face serious challenges. Years of neglect and failure to maintain, upgrade, and protect critical sewerage infrastructure have led to persistent pollution of our waterways and coastline.
The wastewater treatment problems in Nelson Mandela Bay are not unique to Cape Recife and Fishwater Flats. Dysfunctional wastewater facilities are widespread across the city. The municipality must make additional funds available to not only maintain and upgrade plants, but to comprehensively overhaul all the wastewater treatment facilities.
We will not allow the municipality to compromise the health and safety of Nelson Mandela Bay’s residents. The DA remains committed to finding real, lasting solutions to get our city back on track. Together we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.