Municipality faces criminal charges over sewage crisis

CRIMINAL charges will be laid against the Gamagara Municipality after the Green Scorpions were called in to intervene in the sewage problem in Kathu, which has reached “crisis proportions”.

DA constituency head in the Kalahari region, Melinda Hattingh, indicated that raw sewage was overflowing into resident’s properties as well as into rivers.

“It has become a health and environmental hazard to the residents of Mapoteng in ward 5 and Kathu, ward 1. The situation is the result of a two-year lull in the maintenance of the pump systems by the Gamagara Municipality, resulting in chronic overflow at some pump stations, where everything is covered by a layer of smelly brown sludge,” said Hattingh.

She indicated that the Green Scorpions were expected to present the Gamagara Municipality with a notice today, giving them 14 days to respond to the matter in writing.

She said that they had last week requested the MEC for the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, Tiny Chotelo, and the Green Scorpions to intervene in the sewage crisis.

“The municipality claimed that back-up pumps were working and that pumps are repaired as and when needed. They blamed residents for clogging the sewage system by flushing foreign objects down toilets. This was a blatant lie and a feeble attempt to place the municipality’s failure on the shoulders of local residents.”

Hattingh added that they had urged the municipality to purchase new equipment to address the crisis.

“No one deserves to wake up and go to sleep in such a polluted environment and Gamagara Municipality must be firmly dealt with for compromising the health and well-being of its local citizens.”

Spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, Lesego Pule, said yesterday that the Green Scorpions had advised them to institute criminal action against the municipality for committing environmental crimes in terms of the National Waste Management Act.

“Residents have been suffering for a long time and officials were made aware of the problem as far back as 2014. Contrary to the expectations of the DA, for our Green Scorpions to serve the municipality with a notice yesterday, we have decided instead to charge them with a criminal case in terms of the environmental act,” said Pule.

“This has been going on way too long and no one must be subjected to such a stench. The people of Mapoteng and Kathu deserve better.”

He added that going the criminal case route was intended to get the court to compel the municipality to act with speed. “We are hoping to get some results by Christmas. This matter was brought under the attention of the portfolio committee at the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, which highlighted the inaction of the municipality in dealing with the situation.”