The municipality has for years now been battling to deal with issues of raw sewage that continued to engulf residents in the area. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the JB Marks Municipality, which include Potchefstroom, says it laid criminal charges against the Municipality. The DA councillor, Glenville Fransman, says this follows after the municipality allegedly neglected its duties to prevent the continued raw sewage pollution at the Poortjie Dam in Promosa. He says raw sewage has been flowing into the dam since 2017 and both the party and local residents have reported this to the municipality, but the call fell on deaf ears. The municipality could not be reached for comment.

OFM News previously reported that the municipal spokesperson, Willie Maphosin, in August 2018 said the municipality was indeed aware of the particular issue and has since been trying its utmost best to deal with the sewage problem in that area. He said there are other issues that cause the spill, like people throwing foreign objects in the system. Meanwhile, Fransman says they are interacting with the municipal officials to intervene. 

They were informed that the continued sewage pollution is nothing to worry about and that it is not a big problem. “The lack of urgency from the municipality to deal with this problem shows that they are not concerned with the well-being and health of residents and the environment,” he adds.“The site near the dam was meant to be a recreational area for residents to enjoy, however, due to the lack of maintenance the grass is overgrown, the dam is polluted and the stench is unbearable,” he further adds. He says that the DA has opened a criminal case against the Municipal Manager, requesting SAPS to investigate the charges under the Water Services Act.

OFM News