Komatipoort residents raise concerns over trucks’ illegal dumping

Residents have raised concerns over the illegal dumping of products such as coal, iron ore, anthracite, manganese, chromium and magnetite, among others, by truck drivers on the N4 and on the roads near some of the farms.
According to the farmers, the trucks tip their trailers to get rid of excessive loads in order to avoid being fined at the border, while some of them dump the products when cleaning up the trailers upon return.

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This is something that has been going on for some years now. Only recently, with the increased number of trucks, the illegal dumping is getting out of hand. Most of the farmers complained about how the quality of their irrigation water has dropped because these products are contaminating it.

“It’s also sad that even ordinary people are indirectly affected by this, as the products get washed into the river during the rain. Our area is an aquifer, which means that once it’s damaged, it cannot be fixed, which makes it sensitive and susceptible, because we are close to rivers. The consequences of these illegal dumping and having these dangerous products in our river systems will only cause the community more harm than good,” said Minette du Plessis of Waterland, an irrigation equipment supplier in Komatipoort.

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Some of the farm owners say the quality of their water has dropped drastically over the years, and it has had negative effects on the quality of their harvest. Mark Schulz, the owner of the River View Farm on the Strydomblok Road, said he had come across some coal dumped close to the gate of his farm on July 11.

“When it rains, these heavy metals make their way straight into my dam and contaminate the water. We started picking up heavy metals from the soil through the irrigation water, especially manganese. This blocks the irrigation system, which is very expensive in maintenance. The electricity consumption also goes quicker, because when the blockage happens, it uses more power, which then results in higher cost accumulation for us. For us to be able to export, we need to go through quality checks, and they also look at our water quality. If we fail that, we won’t be able to export.”

TRAC said it has not been notified of the illegal dumping on the N4 roadside.
“We cannot speak much on the matter, because we have not been made aware of any incidents of that nature, but should it be that the trucks are offloading their goods on the side of the road, we cannot issue fines or punishment in that regard, as we are not a law enforcement agency. Ours is to ensure that the road is properly managed. We will, however, look into the matter, and if it is the case, we will clean up as per our jurisdiction,” said Solange Soares, TRAC’s spokesperson.