Chartwell residents win the battle
CHARTWELL– Sandesh Naidoo said the company had now decided to stop its operations following a backlash from some community members.
Chrome washing company, DG Steel has finally closed down its plant in the Chartwell agricultural holding area following a 10-month battle with residents.
The company started operating in March last year after President Cyril Ramaphosa had announced the first 21 days of hard lockdown. Chartwell community members said they were not happy about the company’s operation in the area and accused the company of operating in the area without government approval. They claimed the operation posed a threat to the environment and would contaminate the water in the nearby river that would endanger water species.
It was reported in Community of Chartwell up in arms with chrome processing company operating in the area [Week ending 9 September 2020] that the company had announced it was going to stop its operations following the backlash from the community. However, the company later made a U-turn and said it had applied for a temporary permit from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to extend its stay in the area.
Legal advisor at DG Steel, Sandesh Naidoo said the company had now decided to stop all its operations. “We had no choice but to leave the area and close down our operations. The sad part is that scores of people have lost their jobs in the process and they will not be able to support their families during this hard time. We will soon commence with the process of land rehabilitation as per agreement between the company and the department of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the province,” Naidoo added.
One of the community members who had been at the forefront of the campaign against the operation, Faizel Laher said he was pleased that the community had emerged victorious. “We are very pleased and happy that the company has finally stopped its operations and left the area for good. Their operation was posing environmental threats because chrome ore is toxic by its nature. The company was operating in the area without being approved by the relevant department and we couldn’t allow it to happen. We stood together as community and fought a good fight,” Laher added.
Nozipho Hlabangana, the director of corporate communication in the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development in the province said, “The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development did not receive an application from DG Steel (Pty) Ltd to operate in the area. The company was operating in the area without an approval from the department to operate in the area which is an agricultural holding.”
