Kimberley-based Beefmaster Group has successfully helped to repair the Homevale wastewater treatment plant and bring it back into a working condition in a milestone public–private partnership (PPP) project.

The company started the project in June 2021, working with the Sol Plaatje municipality to get the plant functional after it fell into a state of disrepair, which ultimately resulted in the irregular discharge and disposal of effluent.

This, in turn, threatened the 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 most critical repair work has now been completed. This involved getting a section of the plant that has the capacity to process 15 megalitres of water a day fully operational again. Effluent water running through this segment is now being cleaned and treated effectively,” says Beefmaster Group COO Gert Blignaut.

Beefmaster Group provided the labour to fix, repair and replace nonworking parts at the plant, including repairs to the chlorination plant, as well as install new cabling and help 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 nationwide shortage of chlorine. However, this has been now resolved,” Blignaut adds, highlighting that the project created 20 temporary jobs, which are still ongoing.

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.

“The project is a successful PPP and a good example of what can be done when all stakeholders work together to find solutions to problems that impact on everyone,” he says.

“Although the maintenance and upkeep of public infrastructure falls outside the responsibility of Beefmaster Group, we recognised that it was important to assist, owing to the impact of the plant’s continual breakdown on the safety and investability of the area.”

The 2022 Green Drop report, which reveals that more than 60% of South Africa’s sewerage and wastewater treatment works are in a dire condition, indicated that the Sol Plaatje municipality has shown commitment to improving wastewater management at Homevale and that the situation was critical in 2021 to close the risk gap presented by the site, which had suffered 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 socioeconomic profile of our beloved city,” says Blignaut.

Beefmaster Group has created 750 jobs since investing in Kimberley 2003.

It has also scaled up its production plant by investing more than R30-million into equipment upgrades, creating an estimated 30 additional jobs, and spent about R1.2-million in 2021 to improve the socioeconomic conditions of impoverished areas in and around the Kimberley area.

“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 socioeconomic conditions,” he concludes.