The DA in Ilembe District has written to the Municipal Manager, Sazi Mbhele and the Technical Director, Cingiso Mbola to request an urgent plan with timelines to address sewage spills across the municipality (view letter here).
This as we have been reliably informed that the district municipality has been served with final contravention notices by the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA).
We note the severe violation of the Constitution and various pieces of legislation which are being flouted by the Ilembe District Municipality, that has resulted in ongoing sewage spills across the municipal jurisdiction.
We have requested the following:
1. What timeframes have been provided for the District Municipality to comply with breaches pertaining to the contraventions of the National Environmental Management Act?
2. Following the cholera outbreaks in areas like Hammanskraal in Gauteng, can the district advise which river systems have been impacted by the ongoing sewer spills within the Ilembe jurisdiction?
3. What funding did the District Municipality receive from National Treasury following the April 2022 floods and has the compromised sewer infrastructure been prioritized for repair?
4. What reporting mechanisms does the District Municipality have in place to ensure that conditional grant funding is being utilized for the purpose it is intended for?
In addition to escalating this environmental crisis to the Provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, the DA will be utilizing all mechanisms at our disposal to ensure that the Ilembe District Municipality fulfils their mandate and ensures a further environmental disaster is mitigated with immediate effect.