Raw sewage crisis: SAPS investigates North West municipality

A criminal investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been opened into the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality (NMM) in the North West.

This is over the discharge of raw or poorly treated sewage from its Sannieshof treatment plant.

Municipal failures in managing wastewater treatment plants often result in untreated sewage polluting fresh water sources, with serious environmental and health risks.

Sannieshof is a small farming town located in the Tswaing Local Municipality in the NMMDM in the North West.

Surrounded by the four towns of Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp, Mahikeng, and Vryburg, it has long faced issues related to service delivery and was placed under administration. One of the critical issues facing it relates to sanitation.

According to a recent affidavit from municipal councilor Carin Visser, neglect of the plant directly impacts a clean water course.

Untreated or poorly treated sewage from the plant flows into the Harts River, threatening the Barberspan Nature Reserve, farm boreholes, major dams, the Vaalharts irrigation scheme, and a Ramsar site, an international treaty for wetland conservation.

Visser says that this violates various South African environmental and water acts, including the National Water Act and the National Environmental Management Act, as well as constitutional rights to a healthy environment.

She warned the pollution endangers aquatic ecosystems, agriculture, livestock, drinking water, and the health of communities relying on the river as their only clean water source.

“The violations continue and the results thereof are potentially posing a very serious detriment to the health of the affected communities and the environment.”

Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone from the SAPS in the North West confirmed with Newsday that a case was registered at the Sannieshof police station and that the case is currently under investigation.

Pollution in the town

The complaint is on top of intervention from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), which has initiated regulatory actions against the municipality.

According to Green Drop Reports from the DWS, the Sannieshof sewage treatment plant is not operating optimally, which the Department has since intervened on.

A court case between the Municipality and the DWS on the sewer spillage in Sannieshof is currently sub judice and scheduled to be heard in court on 20 October 2025.

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has long been involved an initiative that tests drinking water and treated sewage nationwide, aiming to promote transparency and accountability in water management.

Conducted annually across the country, the tests measure chemical elements (pH, chlorine, nitrates, phosphates, metals) and bacteriological components (E. coli, coliforms).

In Sannieshof, the local works have discharged polluted effluent every year since 2021, according to AfriForum’s Green Drop tests.

Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality governance woes

While Tswaing is known for its governance woes, the NMMDM, which manages the wastewater plant in the area, has also had its fair share of failures.

NMM received qualified audits from the AG for two consecutive years, following years of adverse findings.

The municipality spent R96.43 million (1.7% of asset value) on property, plant, and equipment maintenance, which is well below the National Treasury’s 8% minimum norm.

When a WWTW performs poorly, as indicated by a Green Drop score below 31%, it triggers regulatory actions.

The responsible Water Services Authority (WSA) is required to submit a corrective action plan within 60 days.

The DWS then monitors the quality and implementation of the action plan and may initiate regulatory actions if not addressed sufficiently.

Regulatory actions can range from issuing directives to laying criminal charges, which DWS has done in the case of Sannieshof.

The DWS may also ultimately take over the function if the municipality does not respond or comply.

The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality told Newsday that “notwithstanding the pending case, the Municipality continues to provide services, implement interim mitigation measures, and engage with stakeholders to ensure compliance with legislative requirements.”

“Broader infrastructure improvements remain part of NMMDM’s service delivery programme across the District.”

Could this bring much needed accountability?

“When a municipality allows raw sewage to flow into rivers and streams for years, it is committing an environmental crime,” said Dr. Ferrial Adam, Executive Director of water advocacy group WaterCAN.

“Criminal charges are not only appropriate, they are necessary to establish that polluting our freshwater is not just a governance failure, it is a violation of law and a direct threat to public health.”

She described sewage pollution as a national crisis: “Allowing raw sewage to flow into our rivers is not just bad governance: it’s an environmental crime and a direct threat to public health.”

“Water is life, and when government fails, people will rise up to defend it.” However, she warned that fines against municipalities were inadequate.

“If a municipality is fined it is taking money away from us, that does not change behaviour. We need people to face the music and be held accountable.”

“Accountability is weak and inconsistent across the country. Reports and oversight committees regularly document the collapse of wastewater works, but very rarely do we see officials or municipalities face consequences.”

Communities, she stressed, cannot remain passive. “Citizen action is powerful. Communities can test and monitor water, mobilise legally and publicly, and build alliances with civil society organisations.”