“Help us!” This is the call of Rondebosch smallholder residents.
The idyllic life with a breathtaking view of the Middelburg Dam turned into a nightmare, when an abattoir became their neighbor.
A giant wall that washed away this week has changed the scenario dramatically.
It is a miracle that no one was killed or seriously injured.
Residents say a dam that broke within the grounds of the Medina abattoir hit the wall with such force that bricks were thrown across a road.
The dam is apparently part of a project to increase the abattoir’s capacity.
If there had been people in the area, it would not only have damaged the wall but also caused loss of life.
@middelburgobserver A rural dispute between smallholdings and a neighboring abattoir intensified after a dam allegedly collapsed at the slaughterhouse, washing away its boundary walls outside Middelburg.
During the Middelburg Observer’s visit, it was clear that water from inside the Medina premises hit the wall.
Bricks washed away meters into the road used by residents.
They have been fighting for years to try to determine how Medina got permission to build the abattoir on their doorstep.
Middelburg Observer enquiries sent to the Steve Tshwete Municipality have been ignored for a month.
Medina’s owners say: “The matter is due to the incessant rain over the last few weeks, which is by divine grace, and which no one has control over.
“The reality is that whatever is predestined to occur will occur. The power of God is far more than any interventions or skill of our own.
“We resign ourselves with joy to the decisions of the Almighty. His power is absolute and his blessings are innumerable.”
Videos show water flowing down the gravel road towards a resident**’s** smallholding.
The water later ends up in the Klein Olifants River, says one resident who was busy recording the stream of water.
Residents ask after this week’s incident:
“The arrogance and lawlessness happening at Medina should be exposed. The dam’s failure is one thing. The environmental study, the processes to build dams in a residential area, the engineers’ drawings showing the design, building lines, and emergency procedures should be probed. It is clear that none of this was done. These departments need to be brought to book.”
