The Land Party Pledges its Wholehearted Support to the Community of Sandvlei in The Cape
- Land Party SA
- Feb 21, 2019
- 2 min read
To: All media
From: Land Party National Spokesperson
Contact: landpartysa@gmail.com | https://www.landparty.org.za/contact | @LandPartySA | 067 627 6014
Date: 2019/02/20
Embargo: None
The rural community of Sandvlei, east of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, has long been fighting a battle against the City of Cape Town (CoCT) with regard to the inexcusably high levels of toxic effluent in the river passing through their community. It is with absolute shock that the Land Party has learned of the disregard CoCT has shown to our brothers and sisters from Sandvlei in this matter. Their arrogance and incompetence has exposed children, the elderly and animals to serious health implications and even death due to the dangerous toxins found in the water of both the Kuils River and Eerste River as a result of spillage from the water plant, Zandvliet waterworks, situated opposite the Zandvlei community.
Community activists have been meeting with officials from the different departments for years with no tangible or effective actions from CoCT to change or fix the issues these South Africans have to suffer with daily.
Besides the unbearable stench, health issues such as staphylococcal skin infections, eczema, boil-like skin sores, and respiratory ailments such as asthma and pneumonia, as well as severe cases of diarrhoea and stomach illnesses are rife in the Sandvlei community.
After years and years of pleading with CoCT to do something about this health hazard, a mobile clinic is finally operating in the area to provide the necessary treatment to the children and elderly people suffering the worst effects of the contaminated water in the community.
While the community has expressed gratitude for the assistance of a mobile clinic, what is evident is that CoCT is more concerned about treating the symptoms, rather than fixing the problem. For example, CoCT has failed to publish water quality test reports for the past two years, although it claims to do weekly testing and to have increased its sampling programme.
Despite the undeniable results published by Independent Scientists from CSIR showing that the water contains unacceptable amounts of toxins, CoCT continues to deny these facts. CoCT has been contacted by Senior Researcher of the Water and Health Section in the Water Resources Group of the CSIR as well as Environmental Law Enforcement officials (Green Scorpions) to notify them of the extremely high and non-compliant levels of E.Coli found in the Kuils River water. The Scientists have criticised CoCt for not responding adequately to these serious issues.
In the most recent meeting with CoCT concerning these issues, community activists were treated with such disdain and disrespect, as if they were bugs that deserved to be squashed, and continued to suggest that these issues were not worthy of their time or effort. This is where we draw line! This is where we must rise as the Land Party and squash these inhumane and capitalist politicians that care nought for the health or welfare of our people.
We call on our brothers and sisters in Sandvlei and surroundings to stand together, to unite under the banner of love for our children and our elders, and for a life with dignity. You deserve respect and you deserve to live in a healthy environment. Land Party is here to ensure it.
A public protest will be announced soon to address the issues in the Sandvlei community.
Thank you!
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