The FF Plus in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality (Groot Marico, Zeerust) lodged a complaint with the Green Scorpions against the overarching Ngaka Modiri District Municipality about the pollution of the Marico River. The pollution is caused by the Municipality's negligence.
The party will also lodge a complaint about this with the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
The sewage plant at Great Marico is deserted and being taken over by natural vegetation while sewage spills over the sewage dam's wall and runs via a channel straight into the river.
Despite the many promises that the District Municipality made to the FF Plus, which demanded urgent intervention, raw sewage is still flowing from the sewage plant into the river.
On the 26th of February, the Municipality once again undertook to prioritise the issue at once. But up to date, no attempt has been made to repair the sewage plant.
This fast-deteriorating situation has a great negative impact on the local tourism economy, agricultural activities, indigenous fauna and flora and also poses serious health risks to Great Marico's residents and visitors.
In addition, farmers in the area need water from the river to irrigate their crops.
The river flows into the Riekertsdam, which supplies the entire Great Marico bushveld-irrigation scheme with water. Urgent intervention is needed to protect these vulnerable communities' health and sources of income.
In the complaint, the FF Plus demands that the responsible officials of the ANC-controlled District Municipality must be held accountable.
It is an absolute shame that the ANC-controlled municipalities blatantly allow years' worth of construction and development to go to ruin, valuable natural resources to be polluted and communities' health to be jeopardised as a result of sheer laxity and mismanagement.
Voters must take note of the poor level of service delivery and decay of infrastructure under ANC-controlled municipalities and must, in the upcoming local government elections, use their votes to put an end to the decline of local government.
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