AfriForum tested the water of various towns in the Western Cape 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, Bitterfontein, Darling, Gansbaai, Hermanus, Bellville, Durbanville, Kraaifontein, Strand, Kalbaskraal, Klawer, Kleinmond, Lutzville, Malmesbury, Pearly Beach, Stellenbosch, Gordonsbaai, Vanrhynsdorp, Vredendal, Velddrif, Wellington and Worcester 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 Johardt van Heerden, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Boland region.
Blue drop results
These results indicate that the drinking water of all the towns of Western Cape that were tested, is clean.
| Western Cape | ||||||||||||||
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| Bitterfontein | Matzikama LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | – | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Bredasdorp | Cape Agulhas LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Cape Town (Bellville) | Cape Town Metro | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Cape Town (Durbanville) | Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Cape Town
(Gordons Bay) |
Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Cape Town
(Kraaifontein) |
Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Cape Town
(Strand) |
Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Citrusdal | Cederberg LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | – | – | |||||
| Clanwilliam | Cederberg LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – | |||||
| Darling | Swartland LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Gansbaai | Overstrand LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| George | George LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Hermanus (Sandbaai) | Overstrand LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Hessequa (Stilbaai) | Hessequa LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Kalbaskraal | Swartland LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Klawer | Matzikama LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Kleinmond | Overstrand LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Ladismith | Kannaland LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | – | – | |||||
| Lutzville | Matzikama LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Malmesbury | Swartland LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Montagu | Langeberg LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Mossel Bay | Mossel Bay LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Phosphates >25 ppm[1] | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Nuwerus | Matzikama LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | – | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Oudtshoorn | Oudtshoorn LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Pearly Beach | Overstrand LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Robertson | Langeberg LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Stellenbosch | Stellenbosch LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Vanrhynsdorp | Matzikama LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Vredendal | Matzikama LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Vredendal South | Matzikama LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Velddrif | Bergrivier LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Wellington | Drakenstein LM | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||
| Worcester | Breede Valley LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | |||||
| Other | ||||||||||||||
| Stellenbosch campus (Maties) | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | |||||||||
Green drop results
According to AfriForum’s green drop results eight sewage treatment plants that were tested do not comply with the prescribed microbiological standards.
Table 3: Green drop results for the Western Cape (2013–2020)
| Western Cape | |||||||||
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Bitterfontein | Matzikama LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | >1 000 |
| Bredasdorp | Cape Agulas LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | >1 000 |
| Citrusdal | Cederberg LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Cape Town
(Clifton) |
Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean |
| Cape Town (Scottsdene) | Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | >1 000 | >1 000 | >1 000 |
| Cape Town
(Kewtown) |
Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | 50 000 | Clean | – | Clean |
| Cape Town (Macassar) | Cape Town Metro | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean |
| Clanwilliam | Cederberg LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Darling | Swartland LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean |
| Gansbaai | Overstrand LM | – | – | – | – | >3 000 | – | Clean | Clean |
| George | George LM | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | >1 000 |
| Hawston | Overstrand LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean |
| Hermanus | Overstrand LM | – | 3 600 | Clean | Clean | – | – | Clean | Clean |
| Klawer | Matzikama LM | – | – | 2 000 | Clean | >1 500 | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Kleinmond | Overstrand LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean |
| Ladismith | Kannaland LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | – | – |
| Lutzville | Matzikama LM | – | – | 1 500 | Clean | >2 000 | – | Clean | >1 000 |
| Malmesbury | Swartland LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean |
| Montagu | Langeberg LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Mossel Bay | Mossel Bay LM | – | – | – | Clean | >2 400 | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Nuwerus | Matzikama LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | – | Clean | – |
| Oudtshoorn | Oudtshoorn LM | – | Clean | 100 000 | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | >1 000 |
| Robertson | Langeberg LM | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Stellenbosch | Stellenbosch LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Stilbaai | Hessequa LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | >1 000 |
| Vanrhynsdorp | Matzikama LM | – | – | 1 500 | Clean | >1 500 | – | Clean | Clean |
| Velddrif | Bergrivier LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | Clean |
| Vredendal | Matzikama LM | Clean | Clean | 8 000 | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Vredendal South | Matzikama LM | – | – | 2 000 | Clean | >1 500 | Clean | Clean | – |
| Wellington | Drakenstein LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | >1 000 |
| Worcester | Breede Valley LM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Clean |
The civil rights organisation voiced its concern over sewage treatment plants in the municipalities that do not comply with the prescribed standards, namely Bitterfontein, Scottsdene, George, Lutzville, Oudtshoorn, Stilbaai, Wellington en Bredasdorp . “We will further investigate the non-compliance and act where necessary,” says van Heerden.
“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 van Heerden.
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 Western Cape to give this organisation a mandate to continuously monitor the water quality. SMS “Clean water” to 45265 (R1) and support this action.
