An important municipality neglected wastewater treatment for 5 years which caused livestock to fall ill and fish to die

The deterioration of Lesedi Local Municipality’s infrastructure and raw sewage spills have left it in disrepair over the past 5 years, despite several formal complaints lodged since 2022. 

The Devon wastewater treatment facility, located in the Lesedi Local Municipality, is part of the Sedibeng District Municipality in Gauteng. 

The Municipality provides services to Heidelberg, its administrative seat, as well as to Devon, Ratanda, Impumelelo, Vischkuil, and Jameson Park. 

Heidelberg is the primary economic centre within the Municipality’s area of governance and is home to nature reserves and heritage centres. 

The area hosts numerous industrial operations, with major employers such as British American Tobacco. 

The Devon wastewater treatment works is in Devon, near Heidelberg, next to the Wilger River. Devon is an old mining town with a historic site, the Devon Air Force Station. 

This Air Force station served as an underground radar bunker during the Cold War as part of Project Nassau. 

The Lesedi Local Municipality, which the ANC leads, is facing infrastructure collapse across its water, sanitation, road, and electrical networks.

In July 2026, following repeated complaints about basic service delivery, the residents in the Municipality’s district resorted to protesting. 

The protest escalated into violence, resulting in two fatalities and the burning of Executive Mayor Mluleki Nkosi’s private residence. 

Despite the protests and complaints, the Municipality made no improvements to the sewage infrastructure.

Raw sewage spills in the Lesedi Local Municipality 

The Municipality received a non-compliance letter regarding its operational status during the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) 2022 Green Drop audit. 

On 12 September 2023, the former Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, provided details about the raw sewage leak in Parliament. 

He said it provided support to the Municipality in the 2023 financial year to address sewage spills and ensure compliance with the Green Drop audit.

Despite the Municipality’s commitments to improve conditions and the support provided, no action has been taken. 

The DA said it reported several complaints to the Municipality and DWS regarding sewage blockages, which have not been taken seriously since February 2026. 

The blockages were fixed after lengthy delays, but they became non-functional again shortly afterwards. This happened four times and remains unresolved. 

The party commented that the Municipality showed no urgency in addressing these concerns and fixing the primary cause of the sewage infrastructure collapse. 

On 1 September 2026, the Vaal Orange Catchment Management Agency threatened to issue a formal directive against the Municipality for discharging sewage into the Blesbok Spruit.

In its letter, it demanded that the Municipality stop the spills and provide an implementation plan to secure the infrastructure, which must be submitted within 14 days.

It warned that if the Municipality does not respond, it will issue a formal directive to compel it to stop the sewage discharge.

No information is available on whether the Municipality responded; however, the sewage spills have not been stopped.

On 27 October 2026, Mari Boshoff, a councillor from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), said that the sewage plant has been non-operational for years due to mismanagement. 

The VF Plus visited a farmer who reported that his livestock have been ill and suffering from severe diarrhoea, suspected to be from contaminated water. 

The farmer told the party that fish were found at the water sources where the sewage spills occurred. 

He revealed that the dam provides water and fish for food to an informal settlement. 

The farmer said he warned the community multiple times against consuming any fish. However, the people still rinse the fish and sell it for consumption. 

The VF Plus confirmed that it contacted Star Mbombela, the Acting Head of the Department of Infrastructure, who said he would visit the farm this week to assess the situation.