By St Francis Chronicle & Kouga Chronicle: updated
Kouga residents were shocked yesterday when photos circulated on the Internet that showed a highly polluted stream was running from that sewerage plant, after the oversight inspection by the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo MP, at the upgraded Kwanomzamo Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) in Humansdorp on 31 October.
The upgrade of the plant was necessary to increase its treatment capacity and offer improved sanitation services to local communities. The polluted stream was later rapidly cleared, but questions have been raised by members of the public in Kouga since the sharing of photos on the internet. including this one:
The WWTW is currently nearing completion of a major upgrade, a R49-million upgrade, with funds supported by a South African Government Municipal Grant (MIG). The plant upgrade was necessary following vandalism of the plant.
Clr Reinhardt Foley, who is a member of the mayoral committee responsible for Civil and Water Services, welcomed the media and Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo MP, who conducted an oversight inspection at the refurbished sewerage plant. Also present were a few members of the Press, a local TV station, KM mayoral committee members, and DA HO communications personnel.
In his address Sello said: “Vandalism hampers service delivery.” He highlighted the importance of using technology to address vandalism and “the use of SA government grants successfully, and that can be audited.”
Commenting about the stream and pollution, Freddie van Rooyen, from Masikhathalelaneni NPC in Jeffreys Bay, says in terms of the SA constitution it is the right to have a clean environment, including clean air. “It’s our constitutional rights to participate in government activities. The plant is not fully functional and water coming from the plant remains dirty and was smelling untreated even on the day when the event was being held.”
Van Rooyen said the statement by politicans that the plant is not fully functional at this stage, but nearing completion, raises concerns about the risks for the coming holiday. “What if there are rains and the mouth is bridged. Will this compromise permit application?
“If it’s bridged Will it not compromise the water quality at the beach. More importantly, will the Aston Estuary be closed for the holiday season since the Public Protector report is clear about pollution?
The health and safety of people should be prioritise at least.”
In his address Foley said three years ago the Kouga Municipality took “a strategic stance that “Waste water treatment must be prioritised and treatment facilities must function to ensure service delivery disruptions do not happen… Today we stand here at the project (site) that has almost come to completion and we will receive delivery from contractors soon.”
Commenting afterwards Kouga’s mayor, Hattingh Bornman, said: “The upgrading of the WWTW has been one of the principal priorities identified by this administration for the current term of office. “While this type of infrastructure development may not be a highly visible service to residents on a daily basis, it remains fundamental to supporting a growing population and to ensuring the dignity and well-being of our communities.
“We take pride in the fact that every cent of the funding allocated for this project has been spent effectively and in full compliance with its intended purpose.”
Foley emphasised the security upgrade at the plant and said: “We want to protect our infrastructure so that service delivery disruptions don’t happen.’ He also drew attendees attention to the increased security measures at the plant like high cameras and increased security measures on the perimeters as well.
The gathering at the plant were taken on mini walk about, but owing to time restraints there was scarce time to take photos. This news media tried to asked about the stream running from the WWTW that flows to an adjacent dam but was told that a Q&A session could be attended afterwards. From the dam that overflows, the stream runs to the Seekoei river, and then to the Aston Bay causeway, lagoon, and the sea.
Following the opening, the DA HO put out a press releases that said: “The extensive upgrade to the Kwanomzamo WWTW at a cost of R42 million was supported by MIG. It was officially commissioned in September 2025 and has now entered the testing and optimisation stage of commissioning to ensure that all the requisite systems operate within the required operational standards.
“With a treatment capacity of 4 million litres per day, the modernised plant now serves multiple communities and is expected to benefit more than 2 200 households. This significantly improves sanitation services and environmental protection in the Kouga Municipality”.
The HO press release also said: an oversight inspection at the R9.7 million Paradise Beach Water Tower, was also undertaken by Sello Seitlholo MP.
See kougachronicle.co.za for more photos and of the plant and stream
St Francis Chronicle 