[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

dam-l SA Dam "a disgrace"/LS



http://www.suntimes.co.za/1999/11/28/news/news06.htm
Sunday Times - National
Damn disgrace
Kasrils slams his department and promises to compensate victims' families.
DINA SEEGER

AN OUTRAGED Minister of Water Affairs, Ronnie Kasrils, has accused his
department of creating a "death trap" for the communities who live around
Nondwene dam in the Northern Province. On Thursday Kasrils flew to the dam, on
the Great Letaba River, north of Tzaneen, and was appalled that locals were
forced to use an "extremely slippery and dangerous" temporary road built
strictly for construction workers at the wall's base.

Five people have drowned on this crossing, five cars have been washed away and
16 survivors escaped what the locals call "the crossing of death."

Standing at the dam wall, Kasrils announced that a departmental inquiry would
be launched to find out why the community was not consulted before the project
was started.
He said that if he discovered regulations were breached, he would take
disciplinary action.
"I don't need experts to show me that this crossing is a death trap," said
Kasrils, who is furious that the dam was issued a licence from the Dam Safety
Office last month while people's lives were in danger.

He apologised to the community for the deaths and told them: "This department
owes you a bridge."

Kasrils said construction of a safer bridge downstream should start in March,
adding: "If I could have brought you a bridge on my back today, I would have."

The villagers' old crossing was swallowed up during construction of the
R40-million dam, which began in 1995. At the time Kader Asmal was Minister of
Water Affairs - Kasrils took over the portfolio in June this year.

At the beginning of the meeting the villagers' spokesman, Daniel Manzini,
demanded an explanation for the deaths from Kasrils.

"We would like to know what the minister thinks of our complaints and what the
government says about the children who lost relatives at this crossing," he
said.

The department engineer who designed the dam, Frans Druyts, said although
safety measures were needed, the dam's licence had been "hurried up a bit" and
issued on October 12.

He said the licence was rushed so the dam could store water during the rainy
season, which began this week.

Druyts said this week that to prevent more deaths, the area should be fenced
off and manned constantly by guards to stop people crossing at dangerous times.

But Kasrils said this action had come too late: "We have already lost precious
lives that should not have been lost."

Kasrils praised the Sunday Times for exposing the plight of the community in an
article last week and criticised his department for keeping quiet about the
situation, about which he had only found out when he read the newspaper last
Sunday.

The Sunday Times highlighted the anguish of the small community of Nondwene,
who have diced with death for three years while travelling to work, school and
home.

At the meeting with residents, Kasrils promised he would:

Build a safe bridge for the community downstream of the dam;
Implement safety measures, including a 24-hour guard, to stop people crossing
the river when it was too dangerous;
Pay compensation to the victims' families.

Afterwards, he took the children of the dead aside to offer them his sympathy.

Nurse Baloyi, 17, has been left to care for her five younger siblings since her
mother, Maria Zitha, was washed off the crossing in March. All six children
live off their grandmother's monthly pension of R520.

Another student, Leah Khosa, watched her mother, Catherine Ngobeni, die after
being struck by a three-metre wave on the crossing. Ngobeni was carrying a
friend's six-month-old baby, who also drowned.

"My belief is that these people are clearly owed compensation by my
department," said Kasrils, who added that the tragedies were a lesson for every
other government department.

"Clearly errors were made here that must never be repeated," he said.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::