Polokwane Sewage Pollution: Blood, Sand Rivers Severely Polluted

• Polokwane's three wastewater treatment plants are in a critical state, scoring only 23% on the 2025 Green Drop Report for overall compliance.
• Over 48 million litres of largely untreated sewage are discharged daily into the Blood and Sand rivers, causing severe pollution and impacting downstream communities and agriculture.
• A crucial infrastructure project to upgrade wastewater treatment, initially due in February 2020, remains unfinished and significantly delayed, with its completion now pushed to January 2026.
• The municipality fails to monitor the environmental impact of its effluent on downstream areas or groundwater, which rural villages critically rely on for drinking water.
• This situation indicates severe non-compliance with South African water laws, posing significant legal and public health risks for the Polokwane Local Municipality.

Lawyers should note the severe environmental non-compliance by Polokwane Local Municipality, indicating high potential for regulatory enforcement, environmental litigation, and public health claims under South African water and environmental laws.

Polokwane is currently facing a severe environmental crisis, with its three wastewater treatment works (WWTW) operating in a critical state, leading to extensive Polokwane sewage pollution Blood Sand rivers. The latest 2025 Green Drop Report, compiled by the Department of Water and Sanitation, assigned a dismal combined average score of just 23% to the municipality's Seshego, Polokwane, and Mankweng facilities. This alarming figure includes an average of only 3% for microbiological compliance, indicating a significant presence of faecal bacteria in the treated effluent, and 37% for chemical compliance, reflecting high levels of harmful chemicals such as chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, nitrites, and ortho-phosphates.

Compounding the issue, all three treatment plants consistently receive more sewage than their designed capacity. In July, the Polokwane WWTW, built to handle 36-million litres daily, was overwhelmed by an additional 27-million litres per day. Similarly, the Seshego WWTW exceeded its capacity by over one million litres daily that same month. While the Mankweng plant operated at capacity in July, it received 630,000 litres per day above its limit in August. Consequently, more than 48-million litres of largely untreated sewage are discharged daily into the Blood and Sand rivers, which ultimately flow north towards the Limpopo River. The environmental impact is starkly visible downstream of the confluence of the Sand and Blood rivers, where thick white foam, a pervasive foul odour, and opaque, murky water transform the river into an open sewer, particularly at the end of the dry season. This contaminated water is then utilized by large commercial farmers for crop irrigation, while an additional six million litres of largely untreated sewage from the Mankweng WWTW further pollutes the Sand River approximately 18 kilometers downstream.

The dire state of Polokwane's wastewater management highlights significant regulatory failures and poses substantial public health risks. Despite having adequate staff, qualified supervisors, and process controllers, the Polokwane Local Municipality wastewater operations are severely deficient. The Green Drop Report specifically criticizes the municipality for its failure to monitor the environmental impact of effluent discharged downstream, as well as its neglect in assessing the impact on groundwater resources. This oversight is particularly concerning given that surrounding rural villages are heavily dependent on this groundwater for their drinking water supply.

This lack of monitoring and the ongoing discharge of untreated sewage represent a clear breach of South Africa water pollution laws, including critical aspects of National Water Act compliance Polokwane. The municipality's inaction not only endangers aquatic ecosystems but also directly threatens human health through contaminated irrigation water and potentially compromised drinking water sources. The absence of proper oversight and adherence to environmental standards creates a precarious situation for both the environment and the communities reliant on these water systems.

Efforts to address the Polokwane Local Municipality wastewater crisis through a major infrastructure plan have been plagued by chronic delays, extending six years past the initial completion deadline, with construction stalling for a second time. The first phase of a new wastewater treatment plant, designed to process 20-million litres per day as part of a larger 100-million litres per day ultimate capacity, was originally slated for completion in February 2020. However, this deadline was missed, and construction came to a halt in December 2021.

According to the Auditor-General's 2024/25 management report, NJR Projects was initially awarded a R152-million contract for this first phase. Following the construction stall, it took the municipality five months to terminate the NJR Projects Polokwane contract in April 2022. A further nine months passed before another company was appointed with a R113-million contract to complete the same phase, with a revised completion date of April 30, 2024. This deadline was subsequently extended to December 13, 2024, due to necessary remedial work, incurring an additional R5.2-million. The most recent completion deadline has been pushed to January 28, 2026. A site visit on November 5, 2025, as noted in the AG report, confirmed some progress but highlighted that the project remained five years and eight months behind its initial schedule. A recent visit on September 20 found the site fenced but with an unlocked main gate and no personnel present.

The persistent discharge of untreated sewage and the protracted delays in critical infrastructure development expose the Polokwane Local Municipality to significant legal and environmental liabilities. Lawyers should note the severe environmental non-compliance by Polokwane Local Municipality, indicating high potential for regulatory enforcement, environmental litigation, and public health claims under South African water and environmental laws. The municipality's failure to adhere to basic wastewater treatment standards and its inability to complete essential projects like the new WWTW directly contravene provisions of the National Water Act and the Water Services Act.

Compliance officers within the municipality must assess the profound exposure to penalties and liabilities stemming from the ongoing release of untreated sewage into the Blood and Sand rivers and the stalled infrastructure project. The documented critical state of the treatment plants, coupled with the lack of monitoring for downstream and groundwater impacts, creates a compelling case for regulatory intervention and potential legal action from affected communities and environmental organizations. This situation underscores a systemic failure that demands urgent attention to mitigate both environmental degradation and legal repercussions.

Lawyers should note the severe environmental non-compliance by Polokwane Local Municipality, indicating high potential for regulatory enforcement, environmental litigation, and public health claims under South African water and environmental laws. Compliance officers should assess the municipality's exposure to penalties and liabilities due to the ongoing discharge of untreated sewage and the stalled infrastructure project, particularly concerning the National Water Act and Water Services Act.

Source: Original reporting via GroundUp