Ten tons of tar dumped in Fleurhof
Out of town contractor accidently dumps potentially hazardous tar.
An employee of a micro transport business ‘accidentally’ dumped 10 tons of tar on a construction site at the Fleurhof development.
The owner of the business, Albert Ramanya, told the Record that there “was a misunderstanding” about the load that allegedly came from Midrand.
When the Record arrived at the site on 21 August, a day after the incident, Ramanya was there waiting for JMPD to arrive.
Theo van der Walt, a Safety and Environmental Officer employed by Calgro 3M, the company that is doing construction work on the site, took photos of the whole incident as evidence.
“We want to send a very clear message coming from the top of Calgro 3M that we no longer will tolerate dumping on our construction sites,” said Van der Walt.
He went on to explain that the tar is a potential environmental hazard because when it is exposed to a heat source such as the sun, a dangerous chemical is released that will seep into the wetland and eventually into the Fleurhof Dam.
JMPD felt it justified to send out two vehicles and about 10 members to confront one man who admitted guilt and was waiting for them by his own free will. On arrival one JMPD vehicle nearly knocked the Record’s journalist off his stationary scooter after which the driver cursed at the journalist.
Ramanya has been warned to remove the tar within 24 hours or face arrest. His vehicle will be confiscated and a criminal charge will be laid against him if he does not comply.
