Fish die from sewage spill into water ways at Graceland Country Club in Secunda
“Our club is dying. There are hardly any aquatic or bird life left,” said Mr Jan Hattingh, a concerned club member
SECUNDA – Raw sewage has been spilling onto the golf course and into the waterways and dam at Graceland casino, hotel and country club since 20 May.
This pollution on a massive scale came from the municipal sewer plant situated by the boundary wall next to the fairway of the 14th hole of the golf course.
The sewage spilled onto the fairway and also flowed directly into the Trichardtspruit that meanders through the golf course and then heads to eMbalenhle.
This river and the dam on the course were strewn with dead fish due to the extreme contamination from the effluent spilling onto the golf course last week.
The stench was almost unbearable in some areas of the golf course.
Graceland uses the water from the dam to irrigate the property, but immediately had to stop watering the course since the sewage spill was reported.
The pollution has become a health hazard and the country club management was forced to cancel golf events for fear that players might fall ill.
According to Mr Heinrich Britz, manager of the country club, the problem was reported to the Govan Mbeki Municipality numerous times.
“We spoke to Mr Bheki Khubheka on 24 May, who mentioned that the temporary pump would have been installed on Monday, 27 May. He confirmed this with Mr Rofhiwa Mulaudzi from the municipality’s department for water and sanitation, but nothing has materialised,” said Mr Britz on Thursday, 30 May.
He said the municipality has not kept to their agreements and could not repair the pump for the sewer plant.
https://www.facebook.com/echoridgenewspapers/videos/2105304479596767/
“They informed us that the replacement will only be here in two to three weeks and that they did not have a contingency plan.”
Mr Jan Hattingh, a concerned member of the country club called on the DA ward Councillor, Ms Mariaan Chamberlain for help and also turned to social media in a plight to save his beloved golf course.
“Our club is dying. There are hardly any aquatic or bird life left,” he said.
According to Ms Chamberlain, the municipality eventually answered her enquiries during a portfolio committee meeting held last Friday.
“I was told that the pump station had been vandalised.
“Municipal workers repaired the cables, but only after starting up the pump, did they realised there were also sand and stones thrown into the pump. This caused the pump to burn out,” explained Ms Chamberlain.
She was also told that the paperwork was already completed to replace the pump, it just needed the signatures of the chief financial officer and the municipal manager.
“They did not have a standby pump and were planning to borrow one and then install it on Monday, 27 May. When I phoned them that Monday, I was told the signatures were still outstanding.
“I asked the casino the following day to file a court interdict that would force the municipality to replace the pump within 24-hours.”
Ms Chamberlain requested the MM for urgent intervention at the council meeting on Wednesday, 29 May. She also contacted the Department of Water and Sanitation, as well as the Green Scorpions.
“The municipal manager phoned me on Friday morning, 31 May to say he has fast-tracked the order and the pump would be here the same day.”
The municipal workers in the meanwhile blocked off a leaking pipe at the pump station on Friday which according to Ms Chamberlain, had the complete opposite result.
The golf course was even worse off than before with the sewage damming up on the fairway and even a bunker.
Mr Benzi Soko, spokesman for the municipality, told the Ridge Times on Friday, 31 May that the pump had been issued and will be installed and running by Monday, 3 June.
When asked how the municipality is going to make up for the losses incurred by Graceland, Mr Soko said they will at the extent of the contamination “for rehabilitation as the spillage resulted from vandalism and not maintenance.”
He admitted that the community at eMbalenhle has not yet been informed or advised. At the time of going to press, the pump arrived but had not yet been installed.
