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R36,4 million dumping site

R36,4 million in transactions and transfers took only minutes to conclude.

November 27, 2015

Gerald Young 1 minute read

Garbage and building rubble litter the tract of land bought by the Msukaligwa Municipality for R36,4 million in a controversial land deal in 2011.

The 414 hectare tract of land south of Ermelo that was the subject of a controversial land deal in 2011 has since been left undeveloped and has become an illegal dumping site.

In 2011 it was reported that the Rietfontein farm was bought by a company for R11,9 million and resold to the Mpumalanga Government.

R36,4 million in transactions and transfers took only minutes to conclude.

Tons of building rubble, household garbage, animal carcasses, car body parts and litres of used motor oil are being illegally dumped on the property.

Access to the property is easy as there are no gates barring entry by unauthorised persons.
Hundreds of plastic bags and pieces of paper are blown around in the wind and litter the surroundings.

This is causing grave concern for nearby farmers who cannot graze cattle on their own properties for fear of the cattle ingesting the plastic.

The nearby Ark Christian School is also continually being littered with rubbish blown about in the wind.

The Msukaligwa Municipality now owns the land.