Three Eastern Cape municipalities failed to stop sewage fouling rivers and beaches, and Buffalo City ignored the rights commission's repeated requests for its records, the commission found

In a report released 27 July 2026, the South African Human Rights Commission found that Kouga Local Municipality, Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality failed to discharge their duties to prevent pollution, maintain wastewater systems, monitor contamination and protect receiving environments, implicating residents' right to an environment not harmful to health. Commission-ordered testing at Buffalo City's West Bank wastewater facility found E.