Polluted water in Mokopane - an environmental crime

Wilmot James, the federal chairperson of the Democratic Alliance (DA), who is also the shadow minister of trade and industry, together with the DA’s provincial leader, Jacques Smalle, were called by former Mogalakwena councillor, Beyers Smit, to visit and inspect Mogalakwena’s current water operation status on Monday.
Pointing out sewage buildup close to the Soetdoring flats, James was shocked and said it is "an environmental crime."
His reaction was even more serious as Smit, who was accompanied by ward councillor, Marcelle Maritz, took him to other parts of town where James said it has been a while since he has seen water in such a terrible state. He insisted on a water sample being taken for analysis.
James added that he was convinced that the water is infected with Escherichia coli (E. coli), the bacteria responsible for many deaths in Limpopo.
AfriForum reported in May this year that it reprimanded the Mogalakwena Municipa-lity over the state of the sewage works. This followed water samples taken by AfriForum at the sewage works which proved that the water did not satisfy national requirements. The tests were analysed at a SANAS-accredited laboratory.
The DA has already taken the water samples to the laboratory for testing and is expecting results before the end of this week.
Northern News approached Mogalakwena Municipality divisional head of communications, Malesela Selokela, after the visit.
“We are aware of constant problems brought on by the dumping of animal blood and fat as well as oil in manholes by two entities in Mokopane, which has resulted in hefty fines imposed in the past.
“The last incident was a month ago. We are not aware of the ongoing contamination of any water source as alleged. Any pipe bursts were dealt with immediately by a team on 24-hour stand-by,” he said.