This follows after efforts by the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) to have the river rehabilitated after years of neglect and pollution. The Water and Sanitation Department (WSD) spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, tells OFM News that municipalities need to find or have qualified teams who will take over the work done by the SANDF when it leaves the river at the end of December 2019.

This after the SANDF told the parliamentary committee of the WSD that municipalities and the provincial departments would not be able to maintain the plants in the municipality after the handover of the project in December . Earlier, it was indicated that the SANDF would need R1 billion from the national treasury for the rehabilitation project. Ratau says work is being done to ensure that all goes well with the project.

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 the blockage of drains. The waste also flowed into local community members' homes and into the streets.

OFM News