Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Sello Seitlholo, has acknowledged visible operational improvements at Percy Stewart Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) following ongoing rehabilitation efforts, while emphasising the need for continued infrastructure upgrades to improve wastewater discharge standards.
The Deputy Minister conducted a working visit to the municipality on 25 May 2026, where he engaged Executive Mayors from Mogale City, Rand West and Merafong Local Municipalities on measures to improve wastewater management and protect key water resources linked to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and the Crocodile River system.
During the engagement, the municipalities committed to strengthening wastewater operations and improving the quality of effluent discharged into local river systems.
As part of the visit, Deputy Minister Seitlholo also undertook an oversight inspection at the Percy Stewart WWTW, where ongoing refurbishment work has been done by the municipality through support from the Department of Water and Sanitation grant funding.
Also noted during the visit were the enhanced security measures implemented by the municipality to safeguard the site and protect the millions of rands invested in the refurbishment project against vandalism and theft.
While significant operational progress has been achieved at the plant, further work remains, including additional treatment processes to improve compliance standards.
“There are major improvements that have been made in most parts of the Wastewater Treatment Works, but more still needs to be done to bring treated effluent to the required standards,” said Deputy Minister Seitlholo.
The Executive Mayor of Mogale City, Lucky Sele, reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to improving future Green Drop assessment outcomes.
“We have worked tirelessly to bring the plant to functionality with limited resources, and with these efforts ongoing, we hope that in the next Green Drop assessments, we will be able to do better as the City,” he said.