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Manganese Ore: About 200 summonses issued for overloading

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“There must be consistency in the enforcement of regulations that govern the environment and land use in relation to economic growth and investment, for the City to achieve sustainable development.” This was stated by the Mayoral Committee Member for Public Health, Councillor Thsonono Buyeye, during a site visit of the Manganese Storage facility area in Markman today, 20 October 2022.

MMC Buyeye was accompanied by Mayoral Committee Members for Human Settlements, Cllr Tukela Zumani, for Safety and Security, Cllr Lawrence Troon, and for Corporate Services, Cllr Annette Lovemore, as well as senior officials from those departments.

The purpose of the site visit was to assess the damage and effects of the Manganese operations and to interact with the affected businesses about plans in place to resolve the problem.

“For the past few years already, we have been engaging this sector. Among the reasons for the ngagements was to empower them with knowledge about the regulations that govern their industry and the importance of adhering to such regulations. Regrettably, only a few businesses have shown any interest in complying. We are at a stage where we will be co ing down hard on those that are on the wrong side of the law,” warned MMC Buyeye.

He added that although it was critical that our economy grow and employment is created, the City cannot compromise the health of its residents and other law-abiding businesses operating in the area because of the actions of a fraction of the business community that continues to break the law.

Since 2021, a number of businesses operating in the area have complained to the Municipality about the blatant disregard of regulations by Manganese operators who have settled in a number of warehouses in the area. The high levels of pollution and damage to road infrastructure have been areas of contention. Following the reports and transgressions, confirmed through a number of enforcement operations, the Municipality’s Public Health and Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Directorates decided to develop Standard Operating Procedures that will govern Manganese storage and transportation within the Nelson Mandela Bay area.

“Just yesterday, we hosted a workshop with the National Prosecuting Authority, SAPS and Forensic laboratories to capacitate each other on regulations on environmental matters and land use. we need to make sure that those that we report to SAPS, end up in court and are prosecuted successfully. That is why it is important that we are all knowledgeable about environmental legislation and regulations,” said MMC Buyeye.

Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Cllr Tukela Zumani, said that his Directorate was aware that the very areas that these operators were operating in accommodated a number of fresh food businesses like a dairy, an abattoir, the Municipality’s Fresh Produce Market and many other business that have already expressed their concerns about the negative impact of these operations.

“I am engaging with NMBM Land Use Management officials about this. We will soon announce measures that we will take as a department in the integration of the work that is currently underway,” said Zumani MMC Troon said that a number of fines had already been issued for a number of different offenses.

“Our roads have been damaged due to overloading. some of the operators do not have permits to transport such minerals, while others do not follow safety guidelines in relation to the loading and transportation of manganese. Some of these cases are in the prosecution stage, while warrants of arrests have already been issued in a number of cases. We want to be a City that grows its economy within the confines of the law,” emphasised MMC Troon.

About 200 summonses have been issued for overloading, with 63 warnings issued.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.