Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo calls for joint commitment to address pollution at Hartbeespoort Dam

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Sello Seitlholo has called on various stakeholders to jointly work together to address a persistent problem of hyacinth and algae that has infested Hartbeespoort Dam. Deputy Minister Seitlholo visited the dam
to assess progress on the continuous rehabilitation programme undertaken by Magalies Water to remove the invasive plants. 

Deputy Minister Seitlholo has called on Madibeng local municipality to address the effect of effluent that is not adequately treated at the municipality’s water treatment plant, before being released into the Hartbeespoort catchment. He has also called on the municipality to implement its by-laws to curb the problem of pollution caused by littering and chemical spillage from industrial companies. 

“It is unfortunate that the crisis that we are facing is predominantly caused by municipalities. There are, of course, other sources of pollution from agricultural runoffs and chemicals from industries. As a department, we have therefore made a commitment to give more focus on municipalities and we are also at the forefront of advocating the polluter-pay principle so that everyone knows of the repercussions of polluting our water bodies”, said Deputy Minister Seitlholo.

Deputy Minister Seitlholo also reiterated the need for intergovernmental commitment to resolve issues of pollution within the country’s water courses. “There should not only be a coordination by different stakeholders to tackle the issue of pollution on our water resources, but different government departments like Departments of Environment, Fisheries and Forestry and Human Settlements should also work together to implement the reforms as included in Operation Vulindlela or in 
the Medium-Term Development Plan. If there is no coordination amongst us as government to address the reforms at a local level including the issues of pollution, we will not achieve anything”, he said. 

Over the years, Hartbeespoort Dam has become increasingly eutrophic, meaning it has high nutrients that supports a rapid growth of hyacinth and has also deprived water of oxygen, resulting in incidents of fish kill. The eutrophic state of the dam is due to rapid urbanization that has led to increased solid waste and wastewater discharges entering the upstream of the dam from the municipal Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs). 

Two years ago, the Department of Water and Sanitation appointed a water entity, Magalies Water, to develop a three-year remedial programme to profile problematic contaminants as well as to remove the floating plants in Hartbeespoort Dam. 

Magalies Water has since appointed subcontractors to compliment the biological control through the mechanical and manual removal of water hyacinth. 

Biological remediation or nano-bubble technology has also been piloted at the dam and focuses on specific parts of the inlets from the municipality. This technology efficiently dissolves much-needed oxygen into the aquatic ecosystem, and which will help reduce a certain amount of nutrient (nitrates and phosphates) in water.

The current level of water hyacinth infestation is 33.84% on the surface of the dam, but the Department of Water and Sanitation will monitor progress on the remedial programme currently under way. The Department will also continue to conduct compliance and enforcement activities in the catchment, particularly on the wastewater treatment works of the local municipality.

For more information, contact:
Acting Deputy Director: Media Liaison
Mr Sanku Tsunke 
Cell: 066 299 2915 
E-mail: tsunkes@dws.gov.za 

Ministerial Spokesperson
Mr Cornelius Monama 
Cell: 083 271 0808
E-mail: monamac@dws.gov.za

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