TO: Media
ATTENTION: Editors and Journalists
ISSUED: Friday, 24 March 2026
Amid budget resource challenges calling for phased refurbishment work, Mogale City’s Water Services has since 2023 been actively addressing wastewater challenges across the municipality – this, and visible progress the municipality communicated and presented during a media site visit earlier today.
Following years of challenges related to infrastructure vandalism, ageing infrastructure and maintenance trials, significant progress has been made with the city’s Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs) namely, Percy Steward, Magaliesburg, and Flip Human as well as connecting pumpstations. Although still work in progress, these interventions across the network will eventually achieve compliance with Water and Sanitation license standards, increased operational capacity, safer wastewater treatment processes and improved quality of water discharged into river systems and streams.
Aligned to available resources and commitments made to the National Department of Water and Sanitation, Gauteng COGTA and the Office of the Premier, the municipality provided an update of critical phased work done as well as currently underway.
Percy Steward WWTW
Percy Stewart WWTW has an operational capacity of 27 megalitres per day and remains fully operational. Wastewater received at the plant is predominantly domestic in nature however, effluent from the surrounding industrial area includes discharge from Gelita, which contains extremely high fat content and places additional strain on the treatment process
By 2021, the plant was no longer operating at optimal capacity due to ageing infrastructure, resulting in deteriorating effluent quality discharged into the Blougatspruit River. In response, a turnkey service provider was urgently appointed to refurbish the treatment plant and restore compliance with national norms and standards.
A WSIG of R35 million funded the phased refurbishment work between 2021 and 2023 with Phase 1 valued at R20 million and Phase 2 at R15 million. While both phases were successfully implemented, progress was significantly undone by coordinated incidents of theft and vandalism amounting to approximately R48 million. These incidents severely damaged infrastructure and reversed much of the progress achieved through the refurbishment project.
To stabilise operations and safeguard infrastructure, refurbishment work resumed in 2023 with the deployment of high-performance risk security services on site and the appointment of suitable specialists.
Encouragingly, the plant has already demonstrated noticeable improvements in effluent quality in line with the 2025/2026 financial year objectives. Current work is focused on addressing remaining compliance challenges including:
- Poor influent quality caused by illegal dumping, such as oil and other prohibited substances, with stricter control and testing measures being implemented
- Disinfection challenges, which are being addressed through the commissioning of a chlorination system
Overall project progress currently stands at approximately 82%, with completion anticipated by 30 June 2026.
To ensure efficient implementation, the refurbishment programme has been structured into three priority phases based on urgency, value for money, and available budget. Phases 1 and 2 have been completed, with preparations underway for Phase 3, the final phase.
Phase 3: Long‑term upgrades
The final phase will focus on completing the remaining upgrades required to ensure long‑term compliance, operational reliability and sustainability. This includes:
- Refurbishment of remaining treatment units
- Installation of monitoring and automation systems
- Further improvements to water quality to meet regulatory standards
Once completed, these upgrades will significantly strengthen the plant’s performance, reliability, and long-term sustainability.
Flip Human WWTW
Flip Human WWTW has a total design capacity of 50 megalitres per day and sevices Kagiso, Riverside, Rietvallei, Azaadville, Lusaka and surrounding areas. During the 2023/2024 financial year, a Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) of R67 million was allocated towards the phased refurbishment of the wastewater treatment works, with Phase 1 valued at R20.3 million and Phase 2 at R46.7 million.
Remedial emergency interventions undertaken between November 2024 and January 2025 focused on restoring critical operations following extensive vandalism and theft of electrical infrastructure. Key work included the refurbishment of the central pump station and Motor Control Centres (MCCs), replacement of stolen power supply cables, refurbishment of the chlorine dosing system, and reinstatement of electrical power to major sections of the plant. These interventions aimed to prevent sewer and effluent spillages and restore proper wastewater flow through treatment units. Further work between January and June 2025 focused on improving solids removal capacity through the cleaning of digesters and lagoons, as well as improving wastewater flow between process units by clearing blockages caused mainly by fat build-up. These interventions formed part of a broader optimisation effort aimed at improving overall plant performance and operational reliability.
Building on this work, the municipality is now advancing efforts to increase the plant’s treatment capacity by an additional 20 megalitres (20 million litres) per day. This project is in its final stages, with 95% completion on site and 100% completion in material procurement.
Recent progress areas among other include:
- Installation of key control equipment for managing sludge and water flow
- Cleaning and preparation of treatment tanks for final refurbishment
- Pumping out and cleaning of pump stations to allow access for repairs and upgrades
- Removal and assessment of damaged electrical equipment for repair and reuse
- Ongoing testing and commissioning of electrical systems
- Completion of cable installations for screening and waste‑handling equipment
- Installation of additional flow‑control equipment and new valves
- Installation of pumps at the inlet area of the plant
- Ongoing sealing and waterproofing work in treatment areas
While minor delays have been experienced due to underground water ingress, mitigation measures are in place and work is continuing. In addition, blockages at the inlet works have been cleared to ensure smooth operation once commissioning is complete.
A completion date for the treatment plant can only be established once the desludging process which includes removal solid waste from the wastewater treatment system, resuscitating of the lawn farm, and associated budget availability has been confirmed. Therefore, work will be completed in the new financial year commencing 1 July 2026 and concluding end June 2027.
Magaliesburg WWTW
The Magaliesburg treatment plant has an operational capacity of 3.5 megalitres per day and is currently operational, discharging acceptable effluent quality. However, the plant has not been operating at full efficiency due to historically low incoming wastewater flows. This was primarily caused by non-functional pump stations in the Magaliesburg area, which limited the volume of wastewater reaching the plant.
To resolve this, the municipality prioritised the refurbishment of the pump stations as part of its 2025/2026 financial year objectives. This work is now 98% complete, significantly improving inflow to the treatment works. As a result, the plant is scheduled for full commissioning in June 2026, after which optimal performance and full regulatory compliance can be expected.
It is worth noting that refurbishment of the Magaliesburg treatment plant itself was completed during the 2023/2024 financial year, with additional investments made to support remedial work and long-term sustainability.
Municipal pumpstations
Mogale City operates 21 pumpstations, which are the first stage and an essential part of the water treatment process, pumping sewage at community level and low-lying areas to outfall sewers or directly to the three municipal treatment plants.
Around January 2024, around 70% of the municipality’s pumpstations were either non or partially operational. With major refurbishment work also done to our pumpstations, a detailed operational status update can be provided.
Table 1.
|
Pump Stations |
Status |
|
Rietvallei Ext 5, Rietvallei Ext 1, Lusaka Ext 2 & 3, Chief Mogale, Munsieville, Brickvale (service provider monitoring, adjusting, etc on site), Greengate, Boikhetlo, Royal Cradle North, Royal Cradle South, Adam street. Pinehaven (External but scheduled for refurbishment – 2026-2027 year), Bush street, Magaliesburg (x3 – Hilltop, River and Ha Mogale)
|
X 16 Operational |
|
Chancliff Supported by daily vacuum tanker services but planned for completion in the next financial year June 2026 –July 2027 Pinehaven Pumps burnt in January/February 2026 and municipality has done assessments to repair and replace pumps, which is also scheduled for complete refurbishment in the new financial year eThembalethu Scheduled for full operation end April 2026 Rietfontein Village Scheduled for refurbishment 2026-27 Financial year Rangeview 1 and Rangeview 2 = x2 Pumpstations Mechanical and Electrical to be installed with development of Rangeview Township
|
X 5 Partially Operational |
Albeit with limited budget leading to phased refurbishment work, these upgrades across all three wastewater treatment plants and network of pumpstations mark a significant step forward and towards restoring infrastructure, improving environmental compliance, refining the quality of water discharged into river systems and streams, and strengthening service delivery across Mogale City. Whilst achieving this is critical, the municipality also retains sight of a major end intervention, which is to rehabilitate the streams once compliance has been achieved.