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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to immediately address the ongoing sewage contamination of the Vanderkloof Dam.

This comes after a baby, who was severely sick and was admitted to hospital for a week, was diagnosed with Salmonella enteritis and is suspected by a paediatrician of having fallen ill from contaminated water. The DA is in possession of a copy of the doctor’s note.

This is not surprising, given that raw sewage has been flowing from the pump station into the dam for weeks already as a result of only one of six pumps being in working condition. In addition, the purchasing of chemicals for water purification has been abandoned by the municipality, leaving it to the ratepayers’ association to pool funds to try and keep the water clean.

This situation stems from the collapse of Renosterberg municipality, following a court order granted to Eskom late last year to have the municipal bank account frozen so that they could recoup in excess of R100 million in debt owed to the power utility. The situation has brought services to a standstill, with staff and councillors also not receiving payment from the municipality since November.

While the DA has called on the MEC of COGHSTA and the Premier to help resolve the ongoing crisis in Renosterberg, to date nothing more than a R3,2 million cash injection was received to cover two month’s outstanding basic salary, exclusive of pension contributions and garnishee orders.

DA Provincial Leader, Harold McGluwa, has since referred the matter to fellow delegates in the National Council of Provinces, to push for oversight and a Section 139.7 intervention by national government.

I have also reported the flow of raw sewage into the Vanderkloof Dam to the Green Scorpions and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

While we hope and wait for a high-level intervention and charges to be opened against the municipality, the health of communities who are dependent on Renosterberg’s water remain at risk.

I have therefore today made contact with DWS, asking them to urgently intervene, or risk polluting the Orange River system in the province, as well as loss of life.

Issued by Matt Posthumus, Cllr - Renosterberg Municipality