Charge municipal managers, DA says

THE DA in Kwazulu-natal wants criminal charges to be laid against municipal officials who fail to do their jobs.

Heinz de Boer, MPL and DA spokesperson on economic development, tourism and environmental affairs, said in a statement that municipal and district officials should be held accountable for failing to deliver on their mandate.

The DA in KZN had called on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Ravi Pillay to “take swift and decisive action in the form of criminal charges against municipal and district managers. This as local government infrastructure failures continue to ruin tourism and ecology in the province,” said De Boer.

This comes after a DA oversight inspection to Ladysmith last week which revealed that the town was now the latest tourism hot spot to be affected by constant sewage leaks.

During the visit, DA members witnessed widespread pollution of the Cochrane Spruit, with raw sewage running from dilapidated sewerage pipes into the spruit, into the Klip Rivier and ultimately into the Tugela River.

De Boer said: “Sewerage leaks across the province continue to have a profound effect on tourism and the natural ecology and it is clear that the provincial government has lost the fight against ecological degradation. The historic town of Ladysmith is no exception. These latest revelations come in the wake of other tourism hot spots such as the Umzingazi Lake in Richards Bay and estuaries within the Ugu District being contaminated by raw sewage.”

The party said that the failings were criminal in nature according to the raft of environmental laws and action should be taken.

IFP spokesperson for economic development, tourism and environmental affairs Otto Kunene said the DA was stretching it too far in calling for officials to be charged.

“While the IFP supports the call for officials to be held accountable, we feel that the best option is to hold municipal managers accountable and ensure that the performance of officials is measured.”