Vaal River water resource management areas are under Threat

Vaal River System

Vaal River passing Vereeninging

The department of Water Affairs hosted the 6^th strategy steering committee meeting for Integrated Water Resource Management. The meeting was held on the 19^th April in Pretoria. Amongst other stakeholders Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance participated in the meeting represented by Samson Mokoena and Phenias Malapela.





This committee deals with different interventions within the Vaal River Systems,  and the strategies that are being implemented are as following:

• Integrated Water Quality Management,
• Water use compliance and  enforcement (eradication of illegal irrigation water use) in the Vaal River System,
• Gauteng Municipalities Water Conservation and Water Demand Management,
• The classification of significant water resources in the Upper, Middle and lower Vaal water management areas.

According to the Department of Water Affairs these are important interventions and they need to be implemented immediately because they course a significant threat to the security of water supply in the Vaal River System and they needs special attention,

For the first time we have seen DWA taking the issue of enforcement and compliance very seriously. The eradication of illegal irrigation has received a special attention from the Minister of Water Affairs, she has made it clear that the farmers that steals water from the Vaal river they will be dealt with harshly, she even took a special visit to one farmer and took out his irrigation pumps. We welcome these and it is shown from the reports that if the illegal irrigations are not dealt with accordingly the future of water supply in Gauteng will be compromised by these activities of illegal use.The are 8525 properties that are irrigating in the entire Vaal River System 1202 are unlawful users, 1361 verification completed, verification not started 3 927, validated completed 6900, validation in process 1894.

Irrigation's next to Vaal River

According to DWA,the must be regulations and measurements of taking water for irrigation purposes, but these regulations have not been published, and these has course the confusion within the farming community as who is the unlawful water users.  According to official within DWA these is delaying effective actions against partially unlawful water users the issue of addressing unlawful water users is receiving a high priority in the regional offices according to DWA.

The biggest problem that is facing the Vaal River System is the Water Quality in the Upper, Middle and Lower Vaal, these problems comes from different pollution sources such as untreated sewage from non-functioning municipal Waste Water Treatment Works, industrial effluents, Acid Mine Drainage and other activities that are happening within the Vaal River System. Department has received complains from communities and civil society groups complaining about the continuity of pollution within  Vaal River System that is causing health hazards.

If you think of people of Tumahole in Parys that do not have clean drinking water because of the pollution and the failer of local municipality to purify water for drinking purposes, and we have not seen the Minister of Water Affairs taking a strong stand against the municipalities that discharge the row sewage in the Vaal River System. The question is why DWA have not yet take a single approach in dealing with the threat in the Vaal System. In numerous occasions  the civil society has question DWA on the mining companies that are mushrooming with in the Vaal River System operating without Water Use licences, and municipalities that does not comply with the Water use licences and no actions has been takes against them,

From the DWA the issue of compliance and enforcement is receiving attention within regional offices and the Project Letsema has been well publish  but the numbers has not got out to civil society and concerned citizens. We hope that the minister will visit these mines and close them down and visit municipalities like Ngwathe in Northern Free State and deal with officials that do not care for the poor who are still struggling to get access to clean drinking water and sanitation because of pollution and Mal-administration within government.

Algae at Vaal Barrage

We hope that the Integrated Water Quality Management Strategy will receive the attention like Gauteng Municipalities Water Conservation and Demand Management Strategy and other strategies within DWA. we hope that we will get a report back from DWA on Letsema Project to fast track the issue of water use licenses so that all who contravene the low like the unlawful irrigation users can be punished. As Citizens also want our rights to be protected and our dignity be restored and we hope that the minister will treat water as a common not as a commodity that must be trade on for the one section of society at the expenses of the majority.

Stealing our Tomorrow

People from Steel Valley


Iscor plant now called ArcelorMittal

Samson Mokoena is the Coordinator of Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance, before he was the Chairperson of Steelvalley Crisis Committee. The committee was launched in May 2002 as a response to the groundwater and air pollution caused by ISCOR, one of the biggest steel mills on the African continent.  Samson is sharing with us how ArcelorMittal affected his family and other families lived in the area called Steel Valley. Steel Valley is situated South Johannesburg.

We are not sure whyy the area was called Steel Valley but what we know is that the people who were staying there where only whites who were working for ISCOR. Like other families, my father came to live in steel valley Linkholm area after the first democratic elections in 1994. My father was a construction worker at ISCOR. Because of a secure job, he received a loan from the bank to buy a small holding. For him, a dream was coming true. Not only was he able to continue with his farming skills that he received when growing up in the Free State. I recall my childhood, we had sufficient food from our farm plots and still additional income from cattle rising or chicken production.  

After a while we were joined by other black people in Steel Valley, forming a small location. Not knowing what is happening with water and why white people who were staying there before us moved out.  Animals started to die and many of us became sick. We could trace the root cause of al our problems to groundwater pollution. We discovered our water was polluted and many people started to complain about the water they drink. We also discovered that the source was from 10 big unlined evaporation dams inside ISCOR plant, from huge, 125 ha large uncovered slack dams as well as a cannel running from ISCOR steel mill through our farming area right into the Vaal River.

In 2000, ISCOR agreed to compensate about 400 property owners because of environmental pollution. Hundred and Fifty properties were left out of this offer. In 2004, my father decided to negotiate with ISCOR and other families. Iscor agreed to pay him as little as R165, 000 for a 2 ha plot and a spacious 4 room house. Loss of other properties, like several cows and poultry as well as health damage was not considered. Especially my mother suffers from sinus, itchy eyes and kidney failure.

It was sad to see a vibrant, colourful area slowly starting to 2004 die. In 2008 there were only 30 families left.  Other people took their entire pension fund and bought a small holding, that later discovered to mean nothing to them.  One of the people who took all her money is Rachel Bodibe. She got sick since she moved to the area. She lived in the area with her grandchild surrounded by electric fence put by ISCOR because she refused to accept the settlement. She did not have clean water and ISCOR refuse to negotiate with her about her sickness. At the age of 70 she was still fighting against one of the biggest company, later on she was then evicted.

Samson Mokoena entering ArcelorMittal offices in Luxenburg

Teboho Makume is also one of the people who were surrounded by electric fence after refusing the settlement. He is been staying in the area since 1994. He wanted be a farmer, he had 19 cows and in 2004 was only left with 6 cows because other died due to drinking polluted water. Like other families, Makume’s family suffers from ISCOR activities.  Because the whole family was sickly and farming was not possible any longer, Teboho’s father decided to leave the place with his wife and eight children. Unfortunately, their cows started to die, the dream of Makume’s family to Practice and earn a living from farming has been destroyed.  Iscor has offered them R65, 000 compensation for 1 and half ha plot and four bedroom house. However, this amount is not sufficient to buy another plot. Teboho is staying in a plot without drinking and cooking water. His father delivers about 20 litre of water every week. Like Rachel, Teboho is leaving a very lonely life with all neighbours gone and the community life wiped out. There are many people some of them lost more than 15 cows.   There are people who lived next the slack dams, died of kidney failure and cancer, there were people that could not stay outside because of the dust and air pollution from the slack dams, the family does not stay outside the house because of respiratory.

Iscor Destroyed our land and our heritage

When you visit area nowadays, you can hardly imagine that this used to be a vibrant community with small scale farms, shops, a filling station, a mobile clinic and other communal infrastructure. The area is dived by electric fences, public roads have been closed, people cannot easily move in the area. Only four families left now out of 500 house, steal refusing to sell their properties.

In 2008 a group called Global Action on ArcelorMittal was established. The group consist of organisation such as Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance and other groups from Ohio(USA), Romania, India, Ukraine, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The purpose of this group is unite all people who across the globe who are affected by ArcelorMittal Activities. By sharing information with other group across the globe we have realised that ArcelorMittal success has largely been paid by the communities living and working near the company plants.

November to December ( “WORKING TOGETHER Saving Tomorrow)

Communities writng down their demand for COP17 in Zamdela

VEJA Coordinator Samson Mokoena and other Comrades

It's been been almost 4 months now after the Climate Change Conference that was held on the 28 November - 9 December 2011 in Durban. The Conference of Parties was held under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change. The President of COP 17/CMP 7 was Ms. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane our South African Minister of Foreign Affairs.The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) is an international environmental treaty that was produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) (informally known as the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro, June, 1992.
Climate change is considered to be one of the most serious threats to sustainable development, with the adverse impact expected on the environment, human health, food security, economical activities, natural resources and physical infrastructures. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the effects of climate change have already been observed, and scientific indicate that precautionary and prompt action is necessary
Many people in the communities still don’t know what climate change is and what are its causes and  impact. Vaal Triangle remains one of the polluted area in the Country. VEJA believes that is important to educate people about climate change since we have the biggest polluting company such as Sasol, Arcelormittal and Eskom that are putting more  greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Adding to this company we have problem of coal burning. Many people who can't afford to buy electrivity use coal for cooking and space heating. Coal is the world’s most carbon intensive fossil fuel, is anything but clean and doesn’t promote sustainable development. Just ask communities living within the vicinity of coal mines or power plants about the health problems they face due to the pollution. . People are made to believe polluting indistries brings jobs and grow because they lack knowledge. Most people are not happy with COP17 outcomes. COP17 was a waste of time and resources. It was seen  and called conference of polluters by many.  Sasol and Eskom were part of the negotiations, deciding on our future with out us. It has shown that government is only interested in protecting the interest of those who are putting profit first and greedy. 


Greenhouse gas Emission(Sasol Plant in Sasolburg)

What have done
1. Organised Community meeting
2. Youth session
3. Walk from Vaal Mall to Sasolburg
4. Participated in dirty energy week
5. Participated in people's space

Corporate Trade Show

A Corporate Trade Show

Pictures by SAVE

The 6^th World Water Forum converges at the city of Marseille France from the 12-17 March 2012 under World Water Council, this conference was nothing but a corporate trade show. The World Water Forum has no legitimacy on policy development as it does not represent citizens but it is used by corporations to push their agenda of commodification and privatisation of water and sanitation throughout the world.

The South Africa government especially the Department of Water Affairs allowed to be captured by corporations and to be pushed to privatized water services and infrastructure in the country, through Public-Private Partnership. The minister of water affairs Edna Molewa announced in World Water Forum that South Africa will be looking for Private Investments of 25 billion for the upgrading of 43 Waste Water Treatment Plants who are no functioning around South Africa.

In February at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town the Minister of Water Affairs announced that the department will be signing the agreement with Water Resources Group, to advice the department of Water Affairs, these WRG is lead by Nestle and other corporations that are heavily involved in water privatization of water services and infrastructure around the world and uses more water,

The government claims that these investments will assist to upgrade 43 Waste Water Treatments Plants, but the minister forgot that is the same government  that has allow these Waste Water Treatment Plant to collapse by not appoint people with skills at local government. Department of Water Affairs has failed on its obligations to monitor local government on upgrading and maintenance of the infrastructure especially in rural municipalities and the failer of the Minister to implement the National Water Act,

As citizens of this country we must remind the South African government that section 27 of Constitution guarantees the citizens right to water as the fundamental human  , and the United Nations General Assembly in June 2010 passed a resolution A/Res/64/292 and UN Human Rights Council Passed a resolution CA/HRC/18/L.1 on the human right to safe dinking water and sanitation, we call on the South African Government to distance itself from the declaration  issued on the 13 March 2012 at World Water Forum that failed to recognized water and sanitation as human rights. Water movements in South Africa we need to reject this announcement by the Minister of Water Affairs as it will lead to tariff increases; already government has failed to roll out sanitation and access to clean drinking water. Poor people and those who are living in the rural areas will suffer more.   

Picture by SAVE

The South African government must be held accountable on the health hazard that is being caused by municipalities and industries that are continue polluting water resources. Currently Vaal River is wasted, there are continues pollution incidents that are caused by the very same government.  .

\The South African government has legal binding obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights to water and sanitation to its citizens, and its must immediately implement the National Water Act, and provide clean drinking water and sanitation to poor communities and rural communities, the comodification of water and sanitation must be rejected, and the government must and provide poor municipalities with financial and technical skill to be able to  run and maintain their water treatment plants. 

Working Class Perspectives on Climate Change

Working Class Perspective on Climate Change and Decent Sustainable Jobs with Living wage in South Africa and the world at large by Phineas Malapela

Introduction

Labour in Particular and working class in general take Marxist approach in analysis of all socio-politico economic concept and climate change like all other concepts cannot be approached from purely neutral scientific view  and technology themselves are defined within particular socio – politico-economic context. As defined by an international socialist scientist GERARD BLOCH “ For Marxist deterioration of the natural substratum of mankind’s productive force constitutes one of the aspects of the increasing conversion by capitalism productive force into destructive “ is what causes the present climate change that threatens our natural environment and existence of humanity in the only scientifically known planet of the living organisms and stopping the destructive forces of capitalism will be the first step towards building the egalitarian or classes society where humans will live in harmony with nature and that is what religious people call Paradise and we socialist call communism.

What is Climate Change?
Our understanding of the relationship of humans and nature is as expounded by Karl Marx’s wage labour and capital “work is first of all an act that takes place between man and nature. Man plays role of natural force acting on nature. At the same time as he is thus acting and making a change on outside himself, he is changing his own nature and developing his own latent faculties” and this is similar to religious perspective that believe humans are bestowed with the attributes of the creators in relations to planet earth not attributes of destroyer that are associated with diabolical nature of the devil. Climate Change that is presently an undisputable destructive path created in pursued of profit to us is a move away from the nature of humans as the Productive forces for development of nature itself towards humans are productive force called human capital that obliterate the true human nature.
What is Climate Jobs?
The climate jobs is all that based on the technological achievement can serve as alternatives to the present destructive pollution based unsustainable jobs offered by extractive industry, but however the technological solutions of the alternative sustainable climate jobs especially the solar energy, geothermal, wind and waves etc. that can be Harnessed by working – class does not make business sense as they re-enforce the real impact of human activity on nature contrary to capitalist system with its imperialist decomposition.

4. What is wrong with Kyoto Protocol?

The declaration of the conference at Kyoto in Japan in December 1987 was not a declaration by the working –class but a declaration by the polluting capitalist forces on how they can pollute better and make profit out of pollution by allocation each other pollution rights and trading such rights to each other to make profit based on speculation economy or gambling or casino economy of stock exchanges. This Kyoto Protocol to working –class represent the capitalist class in the following respects:
4.1 Voluntary Signatories: The biggest polluter throughout the world protecting its multinational corporations and its war factories throughout the world, USA, refused to sign signalling that the phony protocol will not work.
4.2 Decentralisation: The decentralised contrail and rules of self-regulations that goes against the polluter pay principle are tried and failed rules of capitalism and to the polluter who make profit by polluting they are non-starters.
4.3 Externalisation of costs: The declaration is deliberate externalisation of costs between the so called develop world that polluted and are continuing to pollute the globe through their multi-national corporations and collect the profit to enjoy at the relatively controlled environment friendly European conditions leave the developing world with a burden of ecological debits the Johannesburg acid mine drainage and radioactive Westonaria uranium dams as well as burning holes of Mpumalanga.
4.4 Carbon Trading: The carbon trading speculators in the European community and USA had taken gambling to a higher level of trading in pollution or destruction rights as the rich countries can now buy their pollution rights in the stock exchange and pollute with impunity to the destruction of humanity and the planet




Picture by Earthlife



In conclusion capitalism had made humans enemies of themselves and the planet of the living without providing anything in return but destruction.





Changing faces of the Catchment Forums

Rietspruit river

Sewege spillage in Sebokeng

Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance has been participating in the catchments forums for the last three years. In the Vaal Triangle we have Leeukuil, Rietspruit and Leeu-Taaibosspruit. Many people still don’t know about this forums. This forums meet once in three months, venue is decided by the industries in their board rooms, where is not easily accessible for communities to reach.  

These forums bring together stakeholders together to deal with issues such as water quality, water licensing, education and awareness rising. The forums operate within the terms of the NWA (1998) and the NWRS (2004). From the water team, we have trained community members who attend these meetings . The aim of our participation in the forums to engage with water quality issues in mining and industrial areas, but also with pollution emanating from waste water treatment works under the control of municipalities.  

Water quality concerns have received a prominent position in the media especially in Vaal Triangle. VEJA has been pushing that the forums must pay special attention to the involvement of communities in water quality. We want to change the face of this forum so that ordinary citizens are able to participate fully and have a voice in the water governance in South Africa.

VEJA chairperson was nominated to be a deputy chairperson of the Rietspruit. These is the second time in 3 years that VEJA has been appointed in these important task, VEJA Coordinator Samson Mokoena was appointed to chair the same forum in the last 3 years. The Rietspruit forum was initiated in 2001, as a result of water and air quality struggles between what now ArcelorMittal and fence-line communities is protesting against its pollution.

This has showed that VEJA is in the right tract to monitor and make sure that previously disadvantage groups have a strong voice. VEJA is confident that Phenius Malapela will represent the interest of the communities as he comes from the working class and poor community of Sebokeng and he is passionate about speaking on behalf of the poor.      

Background and development of the Priority Area

The Vaal Triangle and surrounding areas has been declared a national air pollution hotspot (or priority area) in terms of Section 18 (1) of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act 2004 (Act No. 39 of 2004) (AQA). This area, known as the “Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area” is the first such identified area in South Africa.

Special interventions are now being made by the National Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) to improve the air quality in the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area. These interventions include the development of a Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) that will be developed in accordance with the provisions of the AQA. Once the plan is developed and implemented, air quality in the area should efficiently and effectively be brought into sustainable compliance with national ambient air quality standards within agreed timeframes.

Which Areas are Part of the Vaal Triangle Priority Area?

Boundaries of the Vaal Triangle Air-shed Priority Area in terms of Section 18 (1) includes the areas contained within the boundaries of

1. The Emfuleni Local Municipality (Sedibeng) in Gauteng Province,
2. The Midvaal Local Municipality (Sedibeng) in Gauteng Province,
3. The administrative regions of Doornkop and Soweto, Diepkoof and Meadowlands and Ennerdale and Orange Farm within the City of Johannesburg in Gauteng,
4. The Metsimaholo Municipality in the North Free State, Free State Province.

The area comprises of heavy industrial activities, one power station, several commercial operations, thousands of people using motor vehicles as well as many households utilising coal as an energy source.

What is a Priority Area?

In terms of section 18 (1) of the AQA, the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism may, by notice in the Gazette, declare an area as a priority area if the Minister reasonably believes that

1. Ambient air quality standards are being, or may be, exceeded in the area, or any other situation exists which is causing, or may cause, a significant negative impact on air quality in the area; and
2. The area requires specific air quality management action to rectify the situation.

Why was the Vaal Triangle selected as a Priority Area?

The Vaal Triangle, in particular, suffers extremely poor air quality and people living in the area do not enjoy air quality that is not harmful to their health and well-being. Respiratory ailments and diseases, including early morning coughing, wheezing and asthma are common irritations that people in the area suffer. Several studies have been conducted that found that the air quality in the area is indeed extremely poor and has a direct negative impact on the health and well-being of the people living there.

Enough evidence was provided to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to declare the area a priority area since the proposed ambient air quality standards were, and are, being exceeded in the Vaal Triangle and that a situation existed which was, and is, causing a significant negative impact on air quality in the area. Affected communities from Boipatong, Steelvalley, Sasolburg and Bophelong went and lobby portfolio committee of environment to come up the air quality act and visit Vaal Triangle to witness pollution. It was only after this efforts from communities with the support of groundwork and legal resoure centre that we got a new act and the Minister formally declared the Vaal Triangle Air-Shed Priority Area on 21 April 2006.

Project Objective

The main aim of developing the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan is to efficiently and affectively bring air quality in the area into sustainable compliance with national air quality standards within agreed timeframes.

Project Aims

1. Develop a priority area air quality management plan for the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area.
2. Ensure improvement of air quality within the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area.
3. Reduce environmental and human health risks.
4. Reduce emissions in an equitable & cost-effective way.
5. Empower local municipalities, provincial government and national government to meet its obligations as outlined in the Air Quality Act.

Roundtable discussion with Mazwi Lushaba and Victor Loate

Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance has been following this process from the beginning. We  have observe how industries want to hijack the process to hide the reality that they are polluting. Government has install six monitoring, this station proved that pollution in the area has increase especially PM10 emssions. Industries continue to blame this pollution on poor communities. Next article we will right about Basanje ngogo strategy, it a short term strategy to address coal burning.

VEJA was concern about the development and community involvement. Department of Environmental Affairs reached out to us, so far we had two separate meeitng to address our concern more importantly to come up with a joined communities invlovement plan. In the last meeting, Department agreed to train 20 monitor from VEJA about air quality. This monitor they will work as pollution watchdog in their different areas and they will observe and records pollution incidents and report to the relevent structures. They will also be trained on how take samples. Next step they will ran outreach and awareness programs.  If things goes according to plan, training will take place in march. National Department of Environment, Sedibeng District manucipality and Fezile Dabi will provide taining, venue and material. We want the entire community to understand environment, start asking questions about it and start pointing out the real culprit.