This as the commission is continuing with its relentless probes over allegations that the municipality and other stakeholders played a role in the extensive Vaal River contamination.

The commission’s spokesperson, Buang Jones, tells OFM News that its probe in the matter does not seek to prematurely convict or put the blame at the doorstep of the municipality. He says raw sewage has been flowing into the river from pump stations on the northern bank of the river in Emfuleni‚ posing environmental and health risks to communities in areas such as Vereeniging‚ Sebokeng‚ Boipatong and Sharpeville. Buang Jones says the municipality and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will join the visit in Sobekeng to see how deep the issue of contamination there is.

The SANDF deployed soldiers, among them specialist engineers, to find solutions for the contamination of the Vaal River after untreated waste made its way into the river, causing blocked drains and flowing into local community members' homes and into streets. At the inquiry in September 2018, the Department of Water and Sanitation said much effort was being made to ensure that the SANDF had the support it needed. The provincial head of the department, Sibusiso Mthembu, said R1.1bn was needed to fix 39 pump stations and three water treatment plants in the Vaal.

OFM News