Emfuleni sewage crisis eased: Majodina spurs major infrastructure upgrades

By Thapelo Molefe

After years of persistent sewage pollution and decaying water infrastructure, Emfuleni Local Municipality is finally witnessing a turnaround as a result of an intervention by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina.

For years, residents in Emfuleni have endured raw sewage flowing through streets and backyards due to collapsed infrastructure and failed municipal interventions.

Previous attempts including efforts by the Ekurhuleni Water Care Company and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) failed to halt the crisis.

According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, the situation in the embattled municipality has significantly improved due to a multi-billion rand, multi-agency effort led by the Department.

The Department invoked Section 63 of the Water Services Act in 2021 after several failed attempts to resolve the crisis.

Rand Water was appointed as the implementing agent to carry out the intervention.

The Department reported that over R7.6 billion has