Row over water contamination source
THE Newcastle Municipality has maintained that ActionSA member Faizel Cassim is behind the chemical spill in the Ncandu River and Amcor Dam that has caused an uproar among environmental activists and the local community.
Cassim, a businessman, is also ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for Newcastle. The municipality alleged earlier this month that the spill came from a local laundry shop, owned by Cassim. But Cassim has denied this.
Newcastle municipal spokesperson Mlungisi Khumalo was reacting to a statement from ActionSA in which party leaders said they had not found any wrongdoing on the part of Cassim.
At a press briefing yesterday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said they had conducted an investigation into the spill to determine the source of the contamination.
“In response to these claims, we commissioned tests of the water system from two independent and accredited companies to determine the veracity of the claims made by the Newcastle Municipality and its ANC mayor,” the chairperson said.
He said two companies conducted these tests on the river system, the dam and the stormwater around the laundry business owned by Cassim.
According to Beaumont, it could not be determined that the pollution arose from Cassim’s business premises.
The tests also revealed that the river system had massive levels of contamination, mostly comprising of raw sewage that arose from a catastrophic failure of the municipality to manage its sewerage network.
Beaumont committed the party to act swiftly and decisively against Cassim if credible evidence was produced to substantiate the allegations.
“It must be said, the only evidence before the people of Newcastle is that Mr Cassim is an exemplary community leader, a philanthropist and a successful businessman. As it stands, the only evidence presented to the public does not substantiate the allegations made by the Newcastle Municipality and its mayor, both of which require scrutiny in these matters,” Beaumont said.
ActionSA also questioned the motive behind the municipality’s release of the report linking Cassim to the pollution, suggesting a political agenda behind the move.
“The handling of this matter by the municipality itself has been shockingly political. Statements were released by municipal communications personnel that found Cassim guilty before the tests were even conducted. The timing of this incident and its proximity to these local government elections generates cynicism,” Beaumont said.
However, Khumalo dismissed suggestions of a political ploy on the part of the municipality.
He told The Mercury that the municipality had enlisted the assistance of a reputable company for the investigation to be conducted by professionally trained staff, and this was the reason they were sure about the results.
Khumalo also questioned why the ActionSA leadership had not indicated where their tests had been conducted.
He stressed that the municipality remained convinced Cassim should own up to the damage that had been caused in the river and the dam.
According to Khumalo, some of the chemicals found in the system included dissolved copper, dissolved iron, dissolved manganese and dissolved zinc. He said that in the interest of transparency, the municipality handed over the case to law enforcement authorities who will take the appropriate action.