Court orders Poortjie Dam cleanup

The Mahikeng High Court granted a court order on Monday effectively forcing the J.B. Marks Local Municipality to clean up the Poortjie dam. Poortjie dam suffers from various sewage leaks, but on Monday the court slammed the proverbial brakes on the issue. The water of Poortjie dam is relevant to the whole Potchefstroom ecosystem and beyond as the water flows downwards through the industrial area, Wasgoedspruit, and later ends up in the Mooi Rivier and eventually the Vaal River. The court was approached on an urgent basis by Clean up South Africa, a non-profit company spearheaded by a local attorney, André de Villiers (at the Firm Scheepers & Aucamp Attorneys, Potchefstroom), Andreas Peens (Andreas Peens Attorneys, Koster) and Deoné Bothma (Booysen Attorneys Inc, Fochville).

De Villiers’s evidence makes mention of at least five actively flowing manholes, from where sewage has been seeping into the area, day and night, for the last couple of weeks – much of it landing in the dam where kids play and people fish. “This is unacceptable. Not only is it an eyesore and a continuous source of stench, but a serious constitutional right violation of all the town’s citizens,” said de Villiers in a statement. The court made an interim order to the effect that the municipality and the municipal manager needs to address the issue by: a) Immediately implementing interim steps to curtail the spillages. b) file within seven days from date of the order an approved rehabilitation plan at court to address and resolve the sewage spillages within 60 days. The matter was remanded to November 14 for monitoring of the municipality’s progress. The NPC will proceed in its application to appoint independent contractors to perform the necessary work, under the supervision of experts to be appointed by the NPC. People who wish to strengthen the hands of the NPC can contact André de Villiers on 082 824 2617.