Metz Dam poses serious risks
In its efforts to ensure the safety of communities living adjacent to dams, deputy ministers of Water and Sanitation, Judith Tshabalala and David Mahlobo, visited the Metz Dam in Ga-Sekororo on Thursday, June 29.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has since 2018 has been in constant communication with the owners of the dam, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DALR) in an effort to have the dam repaired as it poses a serious risk to the surrounding communities. In December 2021, the department issued a third directive to DALR to submit a dam safety evaluation report.
DALR has so far failed to comply with the directives and the DWS has carried out some work to lower the risks of a dam failure. The site visit was followed by a meeting with the communities staying around the dam, together with the provincial government and the Mopani District Municipality. Tshabalala said that they will assure that intergovernmental relations are adhered to.
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“We want to ensure that the dam is safe and that the water that is being reticulated from here serves the community which it is supposed to serve,” she said. She said the department is obliged, according to the directives, to open a civil or criminal case against the owner. “We do not want the departments to work against each other by taking each other to court; going to court should be the last resort,” she added.
Thabo Mokone of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture (LARD) said that the department takes full responsibility for the problems. “We appointed a consultant yesterday to evaluate the problems at the dam; they will do a feasibility study and draft a business plan. We have also formed a task team,” he said. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COCGTA) MEC, Basikopo Makamu, said they want the issues resolved at the dam.
“It is shocking that of the eleven boreholes in the community, only two are working.” He said vandalisation and theft of equipment are problematic. “We cannot repair it and then people steal it again.” Maruleng Local Municipality (MLM) mayor, Tsheko Musolwa thanked the departments for the visit to find solutions. “We appreciate that the dam will be fenced so that community members will be safe,” he said.
