ALBERTON – In April of this year, Sector 38 councillor Estelle Visser submitted a motion to council regarding the structural deterioration of Jackson Dam.
The councillor noted in her motion that sand had been put into the dam to stop the natural flow of water; Rand Water board causes an overflow into the dam, and the dam might fail to perform its recreational purpose in future.
Visser asked that the council resolve to ensure that the structural defects of the dam are attended to in the 2015-2016 financial year.
She asked that the natural flow of water be restored in the dam and that negotiations with Rand Water regarding the overflow take place as a matter of urgency.
Visser presented numerous questions to the Health and Environmental Department, including: when last was a cholera test done at by the EMM, and what are the levels of e-coli in the dam?
The motion was considered by the programming committee at a meeting on June 18. The motion was deemed to be asking for budget-related decisions to be made outside of the budget processes, as regulated in municipal guidelines.
The matter was transferred to EMM speaker Clr Patricia Kumalo who stated: “I have considered the motions and am of the view that these motions are not admissible as these councillors should have made any inputs they had in respect of the budget during the budgetary processes.”