The Democratic Alliance (DA) has approached the Eastern Cape Provincial Government and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to investigate two major sewage spills into the Swartkops River, one of which has caused an ecological disaster.
Last Friday, thousands of juvenile fish died in the Swartkops River after a major sewage spill from the Motherwell Stormwater Canal flowed into the river. A collapsed sewer main in Motherwell allowed sewage to flow directly into the stormwater canal and river. This triggered a severe algal bloom near Redhouse, which depleted oxygen levels and caused widespread fish deaths.
The DA wrote to the Acting City Manager on Friday morning requesting an urgent investigation. The Zwartkops Conservancy first reported a sewage spill on 9 March, with the fish kill occurring three weeks later. If this was addressed timeously this ecological disaster could have been prevented.
Repairs began this weekend and flows have been diverted to a functioning system. The municipality also claimed that bioremediation measures had been implemented at the base of the Motherwell Canal to mitigate ongoing pollution. However, a DA oversight inspection on Monday found no evidence of these measures.
According to the Zwartkops Conservancy, there has also been a likely sewage spill into the Markman Canal which also discharges into the Swartkops River. This was sighted yesterday morning and will certainly hamper the river’s ability to recover.
The DA has written to the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) requesting an urgent investigation of both the Motherwerwell and Markman Canal sewage spills, coupled with ensuring the necessary remedial and enforcement measures that might ensure accountability and prevent a recurrence of the situation.
We have again written to the Acting City Manager calling for the urgent reconvening of the largely inactive River Monitoring Committee, comprising officials and councillors from the Public Health and Infrastructure and Engineering departments. The committee must determine why action on the Motherwell spill was so delayed, investigate the Markman Canal spill, and identify effective measures to prevent future incidents.
The DA will also submit detailed questions for written reply to both the Infrastructure and Engineering and the Public Health portfolio committees. These will be made available to the public.
Protecting our environment requires a capable government that maintains infrastructure and responds swiftly to failures, alongside the active involvement of all stakeholders. We need a “whole-of-society” approach to get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.