There is hope for the Apies River, says AfriForum. Following several months of addressing the issue of sewage spillage at the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works, the civil rights organisation sees light at the end of the tunnel.
According to André Potgieter, Vice Chairperson of the AfriForum Apies River branch, there
is still a long way to go, but the future seems promising. ‘AfriForum has monitored a lot of activity at Rooiwal over the last couple of months and noticed several improvements at the plant,’ says Potgieter.
‘Rooiwal is not fully operational yet, but most of the tenders that were indicated in the action plan have been awarded to various parties and should be implemented any day now. Effective maintenance and emergency breakdown maintenance procedures of especially the western and northern works of the plant remain a challenge which needs to be addressed. Responsible management of the treatment works also remains a key issue which needs to be improved by the City of Tshwane’, adds Potgieter.
AfriForum and the City of Tshwane recently started discussions on the issues and the way forward. ‘The municipality clearly indicated that it does not want to be fixated on the past and wants to develop a more environmentally responsible and sustainable future. Even though the City of Tshwane needs to take responsibility for its past mistakes, AfriForum is excited about the future,’ says Potgieter.
The City of Tshwane is preparing to hold discussions on the way in which it will deal with the losses and damage which resulted from its negligence in attending to the plight of those who were affected by the sewage spillage in the Apies River.
The municipality plans to expand Rooiwal to double its current size. ‘AfriForum realises that infrastructure expansion is necessary to cater for the increasing demand, but the short-term goal is to have repairs done to ensure the existing plant operates at full capacity,’ according to Potgieter.
AfriForum will continuously monitor the situation at Rooiwal and remain in contact with the Tshwane Metro Council.
