The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape has called on the Green Scorpions to take criminal action against the inept Kai !Garib municipality for failing to address an almost eight-year-old sewage spill in Keimoes.
The DA first became aware of the spill, caused by a blocked drain and overflowing sewage in the veld in Ward 6, in 2016. Since then, raw sewage has been pooling behind residents’ houses. Sewage ponds formed in pedestrian walkways, eventually creating a filthy sewage lake.
Over the years, numerous complaints to the municipality have fallen on deaf ears. In 2022, the DA reported the sewage spill to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). We remain in constant communication with the case manager from the SAHRC, providing regular updates. After their last inspection to the site in May last year, the municipality has yet to be held accountable for failing to fix the sewage spill, or to show any form of remorse for their ongoing transgressions.
To amplify pressure on Kai !Garib to address the sewage spill, we have reported the matter to the Green Scorpions. The municipality’s failure to take all reasonable measures to manage the waste in such a manner that it does not endanger health or the environment, is a criminal offence in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (Nema).
We are appealing to the Green Scorpions to legally pursue the Kai !Garib matter in the same way they did Umsobomvu municipality. Last year, Umsobomvu lost a court case against them and was eventually fined R10 million for spilling raw sewage in Noupoort, posing a huge health risk to residents.
It is unacceptable that the municipality allows raw sewage to threaten the health and wellbeing of Keimoes residents without any concern for the community or commitment to remedy the situation.
We urge residents to vote out the incompetent ANC and against growing sanitation challenges on 29 May, and rather vote for the DA, with a track record in good governance and the will, to rescue the province from sewerage spills.