AfriForum tested the water of various towns in the Mpumalanga province from August to October 2020 to determine the quality of these 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 all the towns tested 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 Hennie Bekker, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Lowveld
Blue drop results
These results indicate that the drinking water of all the towns of Mpumalanga that were tested, is clean.
| Mpumalanga | |||||||||
| Amersfoort | Pixley Ka Seme LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Badplaas | Chief Albert Luthuli LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean |
| Balfour | Dipaleseng LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Barberton | Mbombela LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Belfast | Emakhazeni LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Bethal | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Breyten | Msukaligwa LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Carolina | Chief Albert Luthuli LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean |
| Charl Cilliers | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Chrissiesmeer | Msukaligwa LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Delmas | Victor Khanye LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Dullstroom | Emakhazeni LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Ermelo | Msukaligwa LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Evander | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Greylingstad | Dipaleseng LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | Clean |
| Hendrina | Steve Tshwete LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean |
| Kaapsehoop | Mbombela LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean |
| Kriel | Emalahleni LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Leandra | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Lydenburg | Thaba Chweu LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | High concentration of faecal coliform bacteria | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Machadodorp | Emakhazeni LM | 5 cadmium | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Middelburg | Steve Tshwete LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Morgenzon | Lekwa LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Nelspruit | Lekwa LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Ogies | Emalahleni LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Piet Retief | Mkhondo LM | – | Clean | Clean | Faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Sabie | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | |
| Secunda | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Standerton | Lekwa LM | – | Colour exceeds limits, but water not unsafe | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Stoffberg | Emalahleni LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Sundra | Victor Khanye LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Trichardt | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean |
| Volksrust | Pixley Ka Seme LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Wakkerstroom | Pixley Ka Seme LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| White River | Mbombela LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Witbank | eMalahleni LM | – | 11 total organic carbon | Clean | Faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
Green drop results
According to AfriForum’s green drop results 13 sewage treatment plants that were tested do not comply with the prescribed microbiological standards.
| Mpumalanga | |||||||||
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Amersfoort | Pixley ka Seme LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – |
| Balfour | Dipaleseng LM | – | – | – | – | >2 500 | – | Clean | – |
| Belfast | Emakhazeni LM | 19 000 | 690 000 | 5 200 | >2 400 | >5 000 | Clean | Clean | >1000 |
| Bethal | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | 450 000 | 100 000 | 50 000 | E. coli >1 000 | >1 000 | Unable to test (water does not flow through plant) |
| Charl Cilliers | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | – |
| Delmas | Victor Khanye LM | – | – | Clean | 1 500 | High phosphate content | – | Clean | – |
| Dullstroom | Emakhazeni LM | – | – | 2 000 | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | >1000 |
| Ermelo | Msukaligwa LM | Clean | 310 000 | 590 000 | – | 1 500 | – | Clean | Clean |
| Evander | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | >1 000 | >10 000 |
| Greylingstad | Dipaleseng LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | – |
| Kriel | Emalahleni LM | – | – | – | – | >1 500 | – | – | – |
| Leandra | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | >10 000 |
| Lydenburg | Thaba Chweu LM | 1 000 000 | – | 73 400 | >1 000 | 1 500 | Clean | >1 000 | Unable to test (water does not flow through plant) |
| Machadodorp | Emakhazeni LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | Phosphates >10 | >1000 |
| Middelburg | Steve Tshwete LM | – | – | – | Clean | 1 500 | Phosphates >25 | Clean | >10 000 |
| Morgenzon | Lekwa LM | – | – | – | – | >1 500 | – | Clean | – |
| Nelspruit | Mbombela LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Nitrates
>25 |
>1000 |
| Piet Retief | Mkhondo LM | – | – | – | >1 000 | >1 000 | – | Clean | Clean |
| Secunda (Kinross) | Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | 2 000 | Clean | Clean | >1 000 | >10 000 |
| Secunda
(Trichardt) |
Govan Mbeki LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | >1 000 |
| Standerton | Lekwa LM | – | – | 100 000 | 50 000 | 30 000 | E. coli >1 000 | >10 000 | >10 000 |
| Volksrust | Pixley ka Seme LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – |
| Wakkerstroom | Pixley ka Seme LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – |
| White River | Mbombela LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | – |
| Witbank | eMalahleni LM | – | – | – | 4 000 | High phosphate content | – | >5 000 | >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 Bronwen Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Highveld district.
“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 Pretorius.
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 the Mpumalanga province to give this organisation a mandate to continuously monitor the water quality. SMS “Clean water” to 45350 (R1) and support this action.