At least two cattle belonging to a local farmer have died possibly due to drinking contaminated water in the Tweelopiespruit on the outskirts of North Way extention on 27 June.
This comes after allegations that the municipality keeps dumping feaces into the stream and deliberately ignores residents’ complaints with regards to this.
The contaminated water is said to emanate from the municipality’s waste water treatment plant in Greenhills.
According to the farmer Geraldine Gerber, she is really upset about the death of her cattle and says that this could have been avoided had the municipality listened to their complaints..
“The cattle usually drink their water from the stream however this has become a problem because the municipality now dumps sewage water into the clean stream.
“As a result, the rest of us now have to suffer owing to their incompetence.”
“The problem really could be worse than what meets the eye,” say Gerber.
The Herald together with Ward 9 Councilor Peter Dick visited the local stream and the waste water treatment plant to investigate resident’s claims.
There, it was established that indeed the water that flows from the plant and into the stream is contaminated with feaces.
The Herald was informed that two machines used to filter feaces were broken and taken in for repairs.
Despite this, Randfontein Local Municipal spokesperson Lucky Chiya was adamant that nothing fishy is flowing into the stream.
“It is incorrect to allege that the spruit is infested with feaces emanating from the sewerage plant.
“Water treatment processes at the farm are carried out effectively and all removal of feaces is done,” says Chiya.
He boasted that the municipality continuously provides clean water in the form of water tanks to residents living in informal settlements along the stream’s banks.
However, this does not take away from the fact that animals do make use of this water.
Having heard of the tragic death of the animal, the Herald took to the stream to investigate once again.
Upon arrival, the RLM’s Acting Municipal Manager Mpho Mogale was already at the stream attending to the farmer’s frustrations.
He said that she should rather have the cattle tested to determine the cause of their death.
He further said that, should the sewage be found to be the cause of death, the municipality would reimburse her for the losses incurred.
Although, the farmer welcomes the gesture, she says that this does not take away from the persisting problem and feels that it is only a matter of time before residents die from the water as well.
