The Democratic Alliance (DA) has appealed to the Green Scorpions to urgently intervene, as a massive sewerage dam that formed in the veld near Platfontein has seeped through to the other side of the R31.

The sewerage leak was first reported in about 2016, when it was still just a pond and was not even visible from the road. At the time, it was indicated that raw sewage was flowing in the direction of Platfontein due to the Gogga pump station being out of order.

It’s now six years later and the pond has grown extensively, despite promises that the matter would be addressed.

The dam is not only an environmental hazard, but it also poses a health risk to the people of Platfontein and the greater Kimberley area. With it causing the formation of swamps, it is a danger to the children living in the area. It is also a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes.

In addition to the above, the sewage spill now presents a threat to the road infrastructure too. If the matter is not addressed, a collapse of the road is imminent. This will not only cost millions of rands to repair but will also deal a massive blow to the economy, given that the road is a main thoroughfare for the manganese trucks traveling from the mines.

It is inexplicable why local and provincial government chooses not to act. The R31 is a road of crucial importance. Roads and Public Works already have to deal with the massive costs of repairing flooded roads and bridges in the Joe Morolong area. Surely, they and SANRAL should be doing everything possible to prevent even more costly road damages.

The DA will ask the Green Scorpions to address the sewerage spill and to intervene on behalf of taxpayers, who are tired of seeing their hard-earned money being squandered because of a lack of preventative maintenance.

After half a dozen years, the time has come for criminal action to be instituted against the Sol Plaatje municipality for its outright failure to protect its people, the environment and even the economy.

 

Issued by The DA