Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Fako Tsotetsi.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mafube Local Municipality welcomes the recent refurbishment of the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Villiers. This follows the oversight visit by DA Councillors and the Member of the National Council of Provinces, Dr. Igor Scheurkogel, last year on 2 September 2024.
After the visit, we warned the municipality about the ongoing violation of human rights and the National Water Act of 1998, Section 19(1)&(2), which pertains to the prevention and remedying of pollution. We also wrote to the Green Scorpions and the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to intervene to stop the spillage of raw sewage into the Vaal River.
Last week, on 5 September 2025, exactly a year after our oversight, the MEC for COGTA, Hon. Saki Mokoena, together with the Fezile Dabi District Mayor and officials, officially handed over the fully functioning treatment plant to Mafube. This came after intervention to recommission the plant and secure it with a perimeter wall fence.
However, it must also be noted that while the plant in Villiers has been refurbished, the other wastewater treatment Plant in Qalabotjha has not been operating for more than 5 years now. We again call on the municipality to attend to it urgently, as this will ease the pressure on other plants.
The DA in Mafube, through its public representatives, will continue to hold the executive accountable to ensure that residents receive the dignified services they deserve.