The Department of Water and Sanitation disclosed that the collapse of four retention dams in August at Dassenberg Farm in Riverlands was due to the dams being unauthorised. The incident resulted in the destruction of over 50 homes, displacing numerous residents.
In a report issued on Thursday, the department traced the origins of the collapse to the absence of proper licensing and oversight. It was revealed that these dams were not recorded in the national dam safety registry, indicating a significant oversight in safety protocols.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has directed criticism towards the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, urging it to acknowledge its role in the oversight. The report highlighted that the previous owners, who built the dams, did not obtain the necessary construction licenses, nor did they inform the department when the property changed hands.
Wally Ramokopa, the department’s head of dam safety, emphasized the dual failures involved, stating, “Government inherited property or bought property with dams already constructed. So, there’s also an allegation on the previous owner or the first owner to actually build these dams because they were actually supposed to apply for a licence to construct a dam on the property.” Ramokopa also noted that the government did not fulfill its responsibility to register the dams legally after their acquisition in 2019.
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