AfriForum tested the water in various towns in Southern Gauteng during April 2018 to ascertain the quality of drinking (blue drop) and sewage (green drop) water in these towns.
“We found that every town’s drinking water – except for Edenvale – adhered to the minimum standards and did not contain any harmful bacteria. AfriForum’s local structure in Edenvale will however continuously test the quality of drinking water in Edenvale after it tested positive for high phosphate levels. Although this is not life-threatening, residents have a constitutional right to clean drinking water,” says Marie Naude, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the East Rand.
Blue drop results
The results indicate that most of Southern Gauteng’s drinking water is clean.
| Southern Gauteng | ||||
| Branch | Municipality | AfriForum blue drop 2016 | AfriForum blue drop 2017 | AfriForum blue drop 2018 |
| Alberton | Ekurhuleni Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Bedfordview | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean |
| Benoni | Ekurhuleni Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Brakpan | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Boksburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean |
| Edenvale | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Phosphate >25 |
| Elsburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | Clean | Clean |
| Germiston | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Heidelberg | Lesedi LM | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Kempton Park | Ekurhuleni Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Lochvaal | Emfuleni LM | Clean | n.v.t. | Clean |
| Midvaal | Midvaal LM | – | Clean | Clean |
| Nigel | Ekurhuleni Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Primrose | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Randburg | Johannesburg Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Randfontein | Randfontein LM | – | Clean | Clean |
| Springs | Ekurhuleni Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Tedstoneville | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Vanderbijlpark | Emfuleni LM | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Vanderbijlpark West | Emfuleni LM | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Vereeniging | Emfuleni LM | Clean | Clean | Clean |
| Westonaria | Mogale City LM | Clean | Clean | Clean |
Green drop results
According to AfriForum’s green drop results, the sewage of seven towns did not adhere to the set microbiological standards.
| Southern Gauteng | ||||
| Branch | Municipality | AfriForum green drop 2016 | AfriForum green drop 2017 | AfriForum green drop 2018 |
| Alberton | Ekurhuleni Metro | 3 900 | Clean | Clean |
| Boksburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Brakpan | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Edenvale | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | >1000
Phosphate level >50 |
| Elsburg | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Heidelberg | Lesedi PM | N/a | >3 000 | Clean |
| Kempton Park | Ekurhuleni Metro | N/a | N/a | >1000 |
| Nigel | Ekurhuleni Metro | High concentration of faecal coliforms | >3 000 | >3 000 |
| Primrose | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Randfontein | Randfontein LM | – | >4 000 | >3 000 |
| Springs | Ekurhuleni Metro | 2 000 | >2 000 | >2 000 |
| Tedstoneville | Ekurhuleni Metro | – | – | Clean |
| Vanderbijlpark | Emfuleni LM | Clean | >1 000 | >1 000 |
| Vereeniging | Emfuleni LM | Clean | Clean | >1 000 |
| Westonaria | Mogale City LM | 2 500 | Clean | Clean |
The civil right organisation expressed its concern over towns of which the sewage did not adhere to these set standards, namely Edenvale, Kempton Park, Nigel, Randfontein, Springs, Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark.
“We will investigate the non-adherence and act where necessary,” Naude says.
“AfriForum’s national blue en green drop project focuses on the quality of towns’ drinking and sewage water plants. The project does not focus on the state of the plant per se, but rather on the quality of water released as drinking water (blue drop) or sewage (green drop) as final product after the process,” concludes Dewet Ungerer, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the West Rand and the Vaal Triangle.
AfriForum encourages residents of Southern Gauteng to give the organisation the mandate to monitor the water quality on a continuous basis. SMS “Skoon water” to 45342 and add your support to the project. Every SMS costs R1.