Municipality allocating stands in a dangerous zone

The J.B. Marks municipality has confirmed that stands are being allocated in Extension 5 in Promosa. “The idea is to allocate the sites for formal settlement well in advance. This is to ensure that the beneficiaries know where they are allocated and avoid mass invasion,” says William Maphosa, the municipal spokesperson.

But according to a concerned resident in Marikana, the Department of Labour restricted this section when explosives were first found in Extension 4. A construction company, Messers Batalala Construction, was busy excavating a sewer network in February 2016 when they had to stop all work due to explosives found on the site.

After visiting the area on 8 June 2017, the Department of Labour issued a prohibition notice to the J.B. Marks municipality prohibiting them from continuing with their work until the site was declared free from explosives. Records later established that the SADF had used the area for training. Although Maphosa said a tender had been advertised to sweep the area for explosives before the beneficiaries move in, this is easier said than done.

According to municipal documents, the municipality, through the municipal manager’s office, had engaged with Cogta (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) and the SANDF National Army Support Base Potchefstroom to detect explosive devices at the location. Based on the resources available to them, this was not fruitful. The municipality then sourced a quotation from Genro Built Environmental Consultant, a professional service provider specialising in detecting explosives. The plan was to appoint the service provider through a deviation report to fast-track sweeping and clearing the area. According to documents, however, the service provider failed to prove that he was the sole provider in the country – one of the conditions of such an appointment.

According to the J.B. Marks website, there is no advert of this nature on the Supply Chain Management list. Maphosa explains that the tender may not yet have been processed and placed on the website. According to the resident, extensions 2 to 5 fall within this dangerous area. In December last year, the Herald reported that explosives had also been found in Hillside View (Extension 2), Promosa. At least four mortars were discovered in yards in Portion 1 alone.

According to a ward committee member of Hillside View, Butha Kleinhaans, the residents usually contact him and a 40-year-old man, who chose to remain anonymous, to assist them with the explosive de- vices. The pair removes them once they have been assessed. Kleinhaans says his partner was in the military and has knowledge of and is skilled in explosives. When he arrives at the scene, he usually checks the shape, size, and form of the bomb before removing it. He also sees whether there’s a fuse or not.

Colonel Adéle Myburgh, the police spokesperson in the North West, said Ikageng police members had been notified of six highly explosive devices last year. She explained that they still had the potential to detonate, which is extremely dangerous. She added that the last one was found on 8 September 2020.

“Only an expert would be able to determine if they are highly explosive or not; therefore, members of the community are cautioned not to try and retrieve any suspicious devices. They should be left untouched and not moved or carried,” Myburgh said.