New beginning for Matjiesfontein community

Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo has commended the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) efforts to restore dignified sanitation to the community of Matjiesfontein under the Laingsburg Local Municipality in the Western Cape. 

The Deputy Minister handed over a newly completed Matjiesfontein Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) worth R 19 871 997,00 and a newly constructed sewer pump station to the municipality. 

He was accompanied by the Executive Mayors of Central Karoo District Municipality and Laingsburg Local Municipality, Counvillors Johanna Botha and Amanda Kleinbooi.

The department, through its Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) funded the construction of Matjiesfontein WWTW, which relied on water conservancy tank for many years serviced by Laingsburg Municipality, but the system was no longer feasible to maintain because it was labour-intensive and had constituted high-cost maintenance. 

In a statement on Saturday, the department said the conservancy tank system infrastructure aged over time and deteriorated, posing environmental and public health risks to the community. The system was also unstable and inefficient as it was underperforming and non-compliant in terms of effluent quality.  

DWS together with the Laingsburg Municipality as the implementing agent, worked together to construct the new facility that will showcase modern engineering and water science. At its core, the Matjiesfontein WWTW has a Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) system. 

The department explained that this cutting-edge treatment technology combines biological nutrient removal with advanced membrane filtration, ensuring highly efficient removal of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphates from the wastewater.

The WWTW has been designed to treat up to 150 kilolitres per day, with hydraulic and biological components configured to accommodate future growth. This is a significant upgrade from the existing 52.5 kilolitres per day capacity of the aging package plant that it replaces.

Progress 

The new WWTW capacity reflects the town’s projected growth up to the year 2035 and aligns with national service delivery targets to eliminate unsafe sanitation practices and reduce reliance on labour-intensive conservancy tank systems.

Seitlholo said the handover of the WWTW marks not just the culmination of a complex engineering project, but the beginning of a new era for Matjiesfontein, one in which public health, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development are strengthened through state-of-the-art water infrastructure.

“With this new facility, the Department of Water and Sanitation is confident that the treated effluent will meet all regulatory standards, and this improvement will not only protect public health but will also safeguard our natural watercourses. The Matjiesfontein WWTW is not merely a technical facility, but also a symbol of progress and a model of what can be achieved through strategic collaboration between local government, engineers, and national departments”, the Deputy Minister said. 

Laingsburg Municipality Mayor Kleinbooi also applauded the collaboration between the national and provincial DWS in its persistent work to ensure that the lives of community members of Laingsburg and Matjiesfontein are improved by advanced completed infrastructures. 

She said the new sewer Laingsburg pump station and Matjiesfontein WWTW will restore the dignity of the people. 

“It is with great honour to have Deputy Minister in our midst to hand over these state-of-the-art projects to our humble towns. Today marks more than a handover of these projects by the Deputy Minister, but it also symbolises the power of partnerships between local and national governments. 

“It also marks a symbol of dignity being restored to our people we serve. Let us all continue to work together to improve the lives of our people and forge ahead to do more to unlock the full potential of Laingsburg,” Kleinbooi said.

Deputy Minister Seitlholo also visited the new main sewer pump station in Laingsburg, which replaced the ageing old pump stations with no backup generators. The new pumpstation was necessary because of increased demand due population growth and will pump treated effluent for irrigation and to the Wastewater Treatment Works in Laingsburg. 

Laingsburg WWTW was also upgraded to align with current upgrades in the new pump stations to ensure improved final effluent quality. The new plant will also boost treatment capacity to 40 litres per second. 
The Deputy Minister concluded his visit by engaging with community members of Matjiesfontein, urging them to take pride in and protect the new infrastructure from damage or vandalism. – SAnews.gov.za