The Vital Role of Monitoring and Disclosure in Enforcing South Africa’s Water and Sanitation Acts

The state of South Africa’s water quality is deteriorating, with President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing the revival of the Blue and Green Drop certification programs during his State of the Nation address. Municipalities are required to comply with the conditions of licenses required to operate wastewater treatment facilities, but proper monitoring of compliance with the law is needed to ensure accountability. Law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr’s director of environmental, mining, and regulatory law, Margo-Ann Werner, highlights that compliance with the National Water Act and Water Services Act depends on monitoring and disclosure.

The Blue and Green Drop Certification program will enable the country to observe the state of its municipal sewage plants and the required actions by municipalities to maintain water quality. Industrial complexes’ discharge of treated process water into municipal sewage systems is governed by wastewater and effluent by-laws, which municipalities must have in place to set standards for companies. Werner also notes that the acknowledgment of sustainable development and the importance of sustainable practices is increasing in the private sector.