The DA has laid criminal charges against the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, and her department’s acting director-general, Dr Alec Moremi.
The charges were laid at the Odendaalsrus police station on 20 November and relate to the failure of De Lille’s department to timeously fix a sewerage pump at the Odendaalsrus Correctional Centre which led to a criminal offence being committed in terms of section 151 of the National Water Act.
The DA’s MP on Security and Justice, George Michalakis, laid the charges.
“Not only did this failure cause the sewage to, on occasion, flow back into the facility and led to human rights violations, but it also caused lasting environmental damage to surrounding areas and polluted surrounding freshwater streams.”
The minister and director-general DG are further guilty in that:) through her written reply, she has first-hand knowledge of the situation;) the DA visited the site on 28 August and again on 18 November 2022 and found that none of the remedial actions undertaken in her reply have been affected;) earlier and more decisive action from the department could have limited the extent to which the criminal offence was committed.
“The DA will continue to monitor this case. The Minister and her department should urgently ensure that the mess created is cleaned up. This is their job. However, such action cannot indemnify them from the fact that a criminal offence was committed,” said Michalakis.
