Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Judith Tshabalala, has ordered the establishment of a task team to work around the clock in a coordinated manner to ensure that the Metz Dam in Limpopo is rehabilitated and to ensure the safety of communities living adjacent to the dam.
Tshabalala visited Ga-Sekororo on Thursday to assess the state of the dam, amid safety concerns.
The Metz Dam is classified as a Category II Dam with a safety risk in terms of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act no 36 of 1998). It is situated on the farm Metz 75 in Ga-Sekororo within the Mopani District Municipality, falling under the Olifants Water Management Area.
Tshabalala said the Department of Water and Sanitation; Limpopo Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD) have joined forces to ensure the rehabilitation of the dam.
Prior to the site visit, the Deputy Minister held a meeting with the Limpopo provincial government where a task team with representatives from all the departments was established to work towards the rehabilitation of the dam.
“A service provider was just appointed recently, and we need to give them space to do their job the best way they know how, but we need to move with speed to have this matter sorted. We are working on very short timelines where the contractors must do their research and come back and tell us what they found,” Tshabalala said.
She said stakeholders are exploring avenues to make sure the dam remains clean and safe for other uses, as it is currently easily accessible and foreign substances can be thrown into the dam.
Since 2018, the department has been in constant communication with the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as owners of Metz Dam, to fix the poor state of the facility which poses a serious risk to surrounding communities.
The department opened a criminal case against Limpopo Department in December 2021, after it failed to positively respond to directives concerning the dam and the risks it poses to downstream communities.
Tshabalala said the case is ongoing and the intergovernmental meeting is part of the mediation process to resolve the matter.
“Opening the case is part of our administrative functions and responsibility. Yes, the case is ongoing and the state attorney has advised for mediation, hence the bilateral with the provincial government to come up with amicable solutions to this longstanding dispute,” Tshabalala explained.
The Deputy Minister said no study has necessitated the demolishing of the dam, and that other avenues need to be explored for the rehabilitation of the dam.
“It no longer serves as irrigation only, people are using it for other uses, including a hospital that takes water from the dam, treats it and uses it. We should not be hasty to say it should be demolished due to the serious use of the dam,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: South African Government News Agency