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Untreated sewage threat to water safety in Burgersdorp

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Dear MyPE

An actively running sewage spill is putting the health and water safety of the residents of Burgersdorp and the Eastern Cape at risk.

Burgersdorp Raw Sewage
Burgersdorp Raw Sewage

Recently I came across this sewage spill during an oversight inspection conducted at Mzamomhle in Burgersdorp.

The spill is located close to the Ethembeni Senior Secondary School and learners and all local residents are therefore exposed to a massive health risk.

The untreated sewage is flowing directly into the Stormberg River. This river flows to the Orange River, which feeds into the Gariep Dam. The Gariep Dam is the largest storage reservoir in South Africa and supplies hundreds of thousands of people with water.

We further discovered that the Mzamomhle waste water treatment plant control room has been vandalised and that the plant is non-operational. This is the only waste water treatment plant in Burgersdorp and the health risk to the town is a real threat.

On 17 July I posed questions to the Joe Gqabi District Municipality regarding the sewage spill and the crisis at the waste water treatment plant. I was informed the municipality had secured funds and that the implementation of an upgrade is imminent. No clear time frames were given. (letter attached)

The DA’s Shadow MEC for the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Yusuf Cassim, MPL, has already written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Xolile Nqatha, requesting his urgent intervention. (letter attached)

Furthermore, questions regarding the situation have been submitted to the MEC by the DA’s Shadow MEC for GOGTA, Vicky Knoetze, MPL. (letter attached)

We are still awaiting his feedback.

Only a DA government can provide a clean living environment and speed up service delivery to the residents of Burgersdorp and the Eastern Cape.

Regards

Marina van Zyl Cllr
Joe Gqabi District Municipality

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This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.