Laboratory tests filed in the Mpumalanga High Court have allegedly detected dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria in a natural water stream at the centre of an escalating sewage dispute between Steve Tshwete Local Municipality and Veralogix Property.
The contamination findings form part of an urgent court application launched by the municipality in Middelburg, where officials accuse the company of blocking access to a sewer pump station allegedly servicing the broader community.
Veralogix, led by CEO George van der Merwe, is a South African company primarily focused on the mining, construction and logistics sectors, with a major presence in Mpumalanga. It operates as an end-to-end service and equipment supplier.
Municipal manager Stanley Mandla Mnguni told the court that the municipality commissioned laboratory testing after ongoing sewage spills into a nearby natural stream. “The laboratory results indicating high levels of Escherichia bacteria in the natural water stream are attached as annexure B,” Mnguni stated in the founding affidavit.
Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli, is bacteria associated with faecal contamination and is commonly used as an indicator of sewage pollution in water systems.
According to the municipality, untreated sewage has allegedly been flowing into nearby streams after municipal officials were denied access to repair and maintain a sewer pump station situated on Veralogix-owned land at the Middelburg Waterfront Estate.
“The refusal of the pump station access caused directly by the 1st respondent’s refusal to allow access has resulted in continuous discharge of untreated sewage into the environment,” the affidavit states.
The municipality says the contamination poses a growing health risk to nearby communities and vulnerable residents.
“Exposure of residents, including vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, to hazardous conditions” has allegedly resulted from the sewage spills, according to the affidavit.
The municipality claims the sewage overflow is affecting streams that eventually feed into the Loskop Dam system.
“The result of such obstruction is systemic failure, causing sewerage to backflow and overflow into public areas, including streets and a nearby natural stream, which flows to other streams and eventually into the Loskop Dam,” the affidavit states.
Officials told the court the environmental harm is ongoing and worsening daily.
“The harm is not historical or once-off, but continuous, recurring, and worsening with each passing day that access is denied,” Mnguni states.
The municipality says every additional day of delayed intervention increases contamination levels and public health risks.
“Each day that the applicant is denied access, the volume of sewage contamination increases; the health risk to the community escalates,” the affidavit states.
According to the court papers, the sewer pump station has existed on the property for more than 20 years and forms part of the municipality’s broader sewer reticulation system.
The municipality alleges Veralogix purchased the property in 2022 fully aware of the existence and function of the sewer infrastructure.
“The 1st respondent purchased the property with full knowledge of the existence, location, and function of the sewerage pump station,”
Mnguni states in the affidavit.
The municipality further alleges the company is now exploiting the absence of a formally registered servitude to deny municipal access to the infrastructure.
“The 1st respondent’s conduct is opportunistic and in bad faith, in that it seeks to exploit a formal defect (non-registration of the servitude),” the affidavit states.
The municipality argues the matter is no longer simply a property dispute because of the direct implications for public health and environmental safety.
In an urgent application, the municipality is seeking a court order authorising officials to enter the property, repair the sewer infrastructure, and stop further sewage contamination.
It is also seeking authority to use police assistance if necessary to enforce access to the site.
The court bundle reviewed by Sunday World did not yet include Veralogix’s response to the allegations or the laboratory findings.
- Laboratory tests show dangerous E. coli contamination in a natural water stream tied to sewage disputes between Steve Tshwete Municipality and Veralogix Property in Mpumalanga.
- The municipality alleges Veralogix is blocking access to a sewer pump station on its property, causing untreated sewage to spill into nearby streams and the Loskop Dam system.
- Ongoing sewage leaks present escalating health risks to local communities, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
- Veralogix allegedly bought the property in 2022 knowing about the sewer infrastructure but is exploiting a missing servitude registration to deny municipal access.
- The municipality has filed urgent court proceedings seeking orders to repair the sewer infrastructure with possible police assistance to stop further environmental and public health harm.
