AfriForum welcomes huge fine for water pollution in Dipaleseng Municipality, but …

AfriForum welcomes the R160 million fine imposed on the Dipaleseng Local Municipality on Friday due to years of water pollution in this area but insists that officials should be held personally accountable for their shocking negligence. AfriForum maintains that the water crisis that is currently being experienced at a national level even justifies the imprisonment of the officials involved.

The Dipaleseng Local Municipality was charged with dumping untreated sewage from December 2018 to August 2023 and thereby contravening the National Environment Act and the National Water Act. Balfour and Greylingstad are the largest towns in this local municipality.

Lambert de Klerk, Head of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum, asserts that handling water pollution with the necessary seriousness is crucial, given South Africa’s water scarcity and the need to jealously guard this precious resource. Given this, the heavy sentence that the Balfour Magistrate’s Court imposed on Dipaleseng represents a significant victory.

“However, in this case it amounts to double punishment for the taxpayers and residents of the municipality concerned. First residents were burdened with unsafe water, and now the very residents are going to pay the fine indirectly. The prosecution of officials who were responsible for the pollution must be a priority. This will hold officials accountable and guarantee the pursuit of excellence in the interest of residents,” explains De Klerk.