AfriForum tested the water of various towns in Gauteng from August to October 2020 to determine the quality of this town’s drinking water (blue drop status) and sewage water (green drop status).
This project was even more important this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and research that shows that this virus could be traced in sewage systems, meaning that one can identify focus points.
“We could determine that the drinking water in the following areas in Gauteng complies with the minimum standards and does not contain harmful bacteria. AfriForum will continuously test the water quality because residents have a constitutional right to clean drinking water,” says Dewet Ungerer, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the West Rand.
Blue drop results
These results indicate that the drinking water of all the towns of Gauteng that were tested, is clean.
Table 1: Blue drop results 2013–2020
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | ||
| Gauteng | |||||||||||
| Alberton (Randhart) | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Apies River | Tshwane Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Bedfordview | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Benoni | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Boksburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Brakpan | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Bronkhorstspruit | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Centurion (central) | Tshwane Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Centurion (south) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Centurion (west) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Cullinan | Tshwane Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Edenvale | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Elsburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Fochville | Merafong City LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | ||
| Florida | Johannesburg Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | ||
| Germiston | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Heidelberg | Lesedi LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Hennops River Valley | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Roodepoort | Johannesburg Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Kameeldrift | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Kempton Park | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Krugersdorp | Mogale City LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Lochvaal | Emfuleni LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | – | Clean | Clean | ||
| Magaliesburg | Mogale City LM | – | Clean | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||
| Meyers Park | Tshwane Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Meyerton | Midvaal LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Moot | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Nigel | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Pretoria North | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Pretoria East (Garsfontein) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Pretoria East (Moreleta Park) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Pretoria East (Waterkloof) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Pretoria West | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | High phenol and chromium concentrations | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Primrose | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Randburg | Johannesburg Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | ||
| Randfontein | Rand West City LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | ||
| Rayton | Tshwane Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Springs | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Tedstoneville | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | ||
| Vanderbijlpark | Emfuleni LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Vanderbijlpark South | Emfuleni LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Vanderbijlpark West | Emfuleni LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Vereeniging | Emfuleni LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Waverley | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| West Moot | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Westonaria | Rand West City LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Zambezi | Tshwane Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| Other | |||||||||||
| Tuks campus | University of Pretoria | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
Green drop results
According to AfriForum’s green drop results 13 out of the 15 sewage treatment plants that were tested do not comply with the prescribed microbiological standards.
Table 2: Green drop results for Gauteng (2013–2020)
| Gauteng | |||||||||
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Alberton (ERWAT Dekema) | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | 3 900 | Clean | Clean | Clean | – |
| Apies River (Rooiwal) | Tshwane Metro | 77 000 | 85 000 | Clean | 2 000 | 15 000 | >100 000 | >100 000 | >10 000 |
| Benoni | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Brakpan | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | >2 500 | Clean | Clean | – |
| Bronkhorstspruit (Godrich) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | 2 000 | >100 000 | >100 000 | >10 000 |
| Centurion (Suiderland) | Tshwane Metro | Clean | Clean | 10 000 | 100 000 | 5 500 | >100 000 | >100 000 | >10 000 |
| Cullinan (Cullinan) | Tshwane Metro | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | 2 400 | >10 000 | >10 000 | >10 000 |
| Edenvale | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | >10 000 | >10 000 | – |
| Elsburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Germiston | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Heidelberg | Lesedi LM | – | Clean | Clean | – | >3 000 | Clean | >1000 | >1 000 |
| Roodepoort | Rand West DM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Access refused |
| Kameeldrift (Baviaanspoort) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | – | – | >10 000 | >100 000 | >10 000 |
| Kempton Park | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean | – | – | – | Clean | >1 000 |
| Magaliesburg | Mogale City LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Access refused |
| Midvaal | Midvaal LM | >15 000 | Clean | ||||||
| Nigel | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean | High concentration faecal coliform bacteria | >3 000 | – | – | – |
| Pretoria West (Daspoort) | Tshwane Metro | – | – | – | 12 000 | 15 000 | >10 000 | >10 000 | >10 000 |
| Primrose | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Randfontein | Randfontein LM | – | – | – | – | >4 000 | E. coli >4 000 | – | >1 000 |
| Springs | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean | 2 000 | >2 000 | E. coli >5 000 | >5 000 | Clean |
| Vanderbijlpark (Leeukuil) | Emfuleni LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | >1 000 | >100 000[1] | >10 000 | >1 000 |
| Vanderbijlpark (Rietspruit) | Emfuleni LM | – | – | – | – | – | >100 000 | >50 000 | >1 000 |
| Vanderbijlpark (Sebokeng) | Emfuleni LM | – | – | – | – | – | >100 000 | >50 000 | >10 000 |
| Vereeniging | Emfuleni LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | >1 000 | – | – |
| Westonaria | Rand West City LM | – | – | Clean | 2 500 | Clean | Clean | – | >10 000 |
The civil rights organisation voiced its concern over sewage treatment plants in the municipalities that do not comply with the prescribed standards. “We will further investigate the non-compliance and act where necessary,” says Stephanus Blignault, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the East Rand
“AfriForum’s national blue and green drop project focuses on the state of drinking water and sewage treatment plants in towns. This project does not necessarily focus on the condition of the plant itself, but rather on the quality of the water that is supplied after this process as the end product in the form of drinking water and treated sewage water,” concludes Blignault.
As the custodian of water, the Department of Water and Sanitation does not fulfil its obligation to enforce legislation when municipal authorities are the guilty parties.
AfriForum requests residents of Gauteng to give the organisation a mandate to continuously monitor the water quality. SMS “Clean water” to 45341 (R1) and support this action.