A compressor was stolen at the Mthatha Wastewater Treatment Works, during a break-in, on Sunday morning.
The O.R. Tambo District Municipality said the compressor was stolen from the chlorine room.
Security personnel saw the chlorine room had been forcibly entered, at around 4am.
The chlorine room houses equipment for the disinfection stage of wastewater treatment.
This is important in ensuring that treated effluent meets the required quality standards before discharge.
The Municipality’s technical team is conducting an assessment of the extent of the damage and related costs.
The Municipality also said in a statement “an attack on wastewater infrastructure is an attack on an essential public service and on the environment we all have a responsibility to protect.”
Picture: Supplied