South Africans will soon be able to see which municipalities, companies and other entities have faced formal enforcement action for polluting the country's water resources.
The Department of Water and Sanitation will launch its National Pollution Register on Thursday, 1 October 2026, which will give the public access to information on entities that have been issued with directives, convicted of pollution-related offences, or ordered by courts to pay damages arising from water pollution.
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Dr Jack Bloom will ahead of the launch visit two sites that demonstrate how pollution upstream can have consequences for the water available to communities downstream.
“The first stop will be the Hartebeestfontein Wastewater Treatment Works, which was issued a DWS directive in August 2025 in relation to pollution. Wastewater from the area ultimately flows downstream towards Rietvlei Dam.
“The delegation will then visit the Rietvlei Water Treatment Plant. Rietvlei Dam is a source of raw water for the plant, but deteriorating raw-water quality has affected the City's ability to use the dam as a drinking-water source,” the department said.
The oversight visits will be followed by the official launch of the National Pollution Register, including a demonstration of how the public can use it. – SAnews.gov.za
