Rudolf Schoeman Jnr, a controversial businessman, was found dead in March 2023 amid questions over his company's failed R291-million wastewater project. The Rooiwal plant's dysfunction contributed to a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, killing 47 people. An investigation uncovers graft, fraud allegations, and unfinished contracts across South Africa.
On 6 March 2023, Rudolf Schoeman Jnr, 40, was discovered dead in his Bryanston, Johannesburg townhouse, surrounded by shattered glass and with blood-streaked features suggesting a possible altercation. Despite this, police ruled his death as natural causes. Schoeman led CMS Water Engineering, a firm founded by his father, which had secured over R2-billion in government contracts but left many unfinished, including sewage plants in four provinces.
Two months later, cholera struck Hammanskraal, near Pretoria, exploding from six cases in February to 1,290 by August 2023, with 47 deaths. The outbreak stemmed from polluted water in the Apies River and Leeukraal Dam, tainted by raw sewage from the dysfunctional Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, which processed only 110 million litres daily against 150 million incoming.
In 2019, CMS partnered with Edwin Sodi's NJR Projects and Blackhead Consulting for a R291-million Rooiwal upgrade. The contract award was marred by irregularities: Blackhead lacked registration, bids deviated from specs, and evaluation was rushed in a four-minute meeting. Rival bids were eliminated, and despite two cancellation attempts, Schoeman's legal challenge reinstated it in March 2020.
The city advanced R71-million upfront, but progress stalled. In 2022, a key dewatering belt press arrived in Durban but sat unpaid, accruing R18,000 daily fees. Schoeman diverted R1.2-million from Sodi's payment, leading to fraud charges and his arrest. The contract was cancelled in August 2022 after a city probe confirmed flaws.
Former employee: “I really wish you had met Rudolf before … that guy — jis — he would have taken us places.” Another called him “a fucking piece of shit.” Sodi blamed Schoeman for the failure, while CMS was liquidated in February 2024, owing over R1-billion in contracts. The Department of Water and Sanitation linked the cholera to Rooiwal pollution, though the city denies a direct tie.
This saga highlights South Africa's graft-riddled water infrastructure, with deadly consequences for residents.