Bloemfontein - The Democratic Alliance on Wednesday has asked the SA Human Rights Commission to investigate the Mantsopa municipality in the Free State, the party said on Wednesday.
DA councillor Tania Halse said the municipality had failed to follow recommendations made by the provincial water department.
“The DA lodged an official complaint with the department, reporting the municipality about its gross human rights violations; this they did by not fixing the collapsed wall of the settling dam, which causes unchlorinated sewage to seep and flow to the water resource,” said Halse.
The DA alleged that the department advised the municipality to fix the dam but this had not yet happened.
“This places Mantsopa residents at a serious health hazard,” said Halse, saying people could contract cholera.
The dam was a water source for both South Africa and Lesotho.
“The DA views this as gross negligence by the municipality and has written to the Human Rights Commission to lodge an official complaint,” she said.
The municipality, however, denied the DA's allegations, calling it a “political ploy”.
“Our water quality is very good,” municipality spokesman David Mokoatsi said.
He denied there were any problems with the walls of the dam.
“But unfortunately they (the DA) have opted to lodge a complaint legally so we have no problem with that,” Mokoatsi said.
He said the municipality had not received any communication from the SAHRC.
Sapa