Yesterday, the DA in Limpopo laid criminal charges against the Mayor and Municipal Manager of the Modimolle-Moogkopong Local Municipality (MMLM) for their failure to address the continuous flow of sewage into the Nylsvlei.
MMLM is the responsible authority for the sewerage system in Modimolle.
Oversights revealed that five manholes persistently overflow with raw effluent in Van Riebeek, Stasie, Joe Slovo and Limpopo Streets in ward 11.
Residents are not only exposed to health risks, but faced with the severe discomfort of and the stench of raw effluent in and around their properties.(See photos here, here and here)
The effluent runs through residential properties and end up in the Nyl River which flows to the Nylsvlei. (See photos here, and here )
The Nylsvlei forms part of the UNESCO biosphere and is the largest floodplain in South Africa.
Preserving our wildlife is of utmost importance for the preservation of our ecosystem. If the wildlife disappears from its natural habitat, the balance of the ecosystem will be disturbed with dire consequences.
The municipal manager and mayor of the MMLM has failed to address the overflowing manholes in a sustainable way and these persistent spills now pose an ecological and health disaster to the people of Modimolle-Mookgopong.
The failure to protect the environment against pollution is a criminal offence in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).
The DA will hold this ANC municipality to account for incompetence and negligence that cause health risks to residents and environmental damage, especially to water sources and a rare and treasured biosphere.