Project is a milestone example of what PPPs can achieve in the battle to restore the country’s dysfunctional water and wastewater treatment works

30 May 2022: Beefmaster Group, Kimberley’s largest private employer, has successfully helped to get the Homevale Wastewater Treatment Plant back to a working condition.

“The most critical repair work has now been completed,” says Gert Blignaut, Chief Operations Officer at Beefmaster Group. “This involved getting a section of the Plant that has the capacity to process 15 megalitres of water per day, 100% operational again. Effluent water running through this segment is now being cleaned and treated effectively.”

The company, which started on the project in June 2021, worked with the Sol Plaatje Municipality to get the Plant functional again after it fell into a state of disrepair, resulting in the irregular discharge/disposal of effluent, threatening natural resources in the area and the viability of the town’s infrastructure. Local businesses and residents in the area rely on the treatment plant to effectively dispose of waste in the area.

The project created 20 temporary jobs, which are still ongoing. Beefmaster Group provided the labour to fix, repair and replace non-working parts at the Plant, including repairs to the chlorination plant as well as the installation of new cabling. The company also helped to clear overgrown areas around the Plant and keep the property tidy.
“We did have a delay on the project up until March, given the nation-wide shortage of chlorine. However, this has been now resolved,” says Blignaut.

According to Blignaut, the project is a successful public-private partnership (PPP) and a good example of what can be done when all stakeholders work together to find solutions to problems that impact everyone.

“Although the maintenance and upkeep of public infrastructure falls outside of the responsibility of Beefmaster Group, we recognised that it was important to assist, due to the impact of the Plant’s continual breakdown on the safety and invest-ability of the area,” says Blignaut.

The partnership and success of the project is seen as a milestone in the battle to get dysfunctional wastewater treatment plants back to a working condition.

According to the 2022 Green Drop report, more than 60% of South Africa’s sewage and wastewater treatment works are in a dire condition. The report also identified that the Sol Plaatje municipality has shown commitment in improving wastewater management at Homevale, and that the situation was critical in 2021 to close the risk gap presented by the site. It also identified that the site was mostly in operational in 2021 due to significant damage from vandalism in 2018.

“We hope that our involvement in this project will ensure that the Plant continues to run effectively, which we believe will raise the socio-economic profile of our beloved city,” says Blignaut.

Since being invested in Kimberley since 2003, Beefmaster Group has created 750 jobs and continues to make an impact in the area. It has also scaled up its production plant in Kimberley by investing more than R30 million into equipment upgrades and creating an estimated 30 additional jobs. Furthermore, it has also spent approximately R1.2 million in improving the socio-economic conditions of impoverished areas in and around the Kimberley area in 2021. This is significant given the recent spate of disinvestment from corporate companies in areas where communities are reliant on them for job security, income and upliftment of socio-economic conditions.