A fire at the New England Road landfill site in Pietermaritzburg has been raging for several days, forcing a number of schools within the immediate vicinity to close. MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube visited the landfill on Monday and said their main concern at the moment was to assist residents.
Dube-Ncube also vowed to investigate any illegality over the fire. “We will be consulting with relevant authorities in order to ascertain exactly how to penalize those found to be in breach with environmental laws.
Meanwhile, Msunduzi municipality spokesperson Thobeka Mafumbatha said "there will be more traffic police on the N2 and N3 in terms of monitoring the smoke. At this point it has not been declared a disaster."
According to the firefighters, who have been on the scene since the fire started, heavy winds and hot temperatures have made it difficult to contain the blaze.
Video: Rudolph Nkgadima/African News Agency
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