THE Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni is incensed with the speaker Ald Patricia Kumalo for refusing to debate an urgent motion on the serious pollution of the Swartspruit and wetlands at the last council meeting of the year.
“The Swartspruit is a natural water body that runs through a large portion of Kempton, including parts of Wards 15, 16, 17, 25, 104 and Serengeti, ending up in the Rietvlei Dam, which is an important source of drinking water for the City of Tshwane.
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“For several years now there have been increasing concerns around the levels of pollution in the Swartspruit, with high levels of E-Coli increasing the potential for disease,” Clr Tracey Butler, deputy shadow MMC for environment and waste management in Ekurhuleni said.
“The urgent motion which was brought to council sought to compel the department of environment and waste management to take immediate action to locate the sources of the sewage, industrial chemicals and other forms of pollution that are contaminating the Swartspruit. Further, that the metro takes appropriate steps to contain and eradicate the pollution and rehabilitate the wetland according to national standards,” Lourenco added.
“It is clear that the speaker and the ANC-led coalition in Ekurhuleni do not care about the well-being of the residents affected by the Swartspruit by denying to hear our motion. The pollution levels have reached intolerable levels and we will not rest until the metro addresses our concerns.”
