Pemmy Majodina Receives Preliminary Report on Riverlands Dam Failures in W Cape

Majodina praised the swift response by the team of engineers, led by Wally Ramokopa, Head of the Specialist Unit: Dam Safety.

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has received a preliminary report detailing the causes behind the failure of three dams located on Riverlands farm in the Swartland Local Municipality, Western Cape. The investigation was prompted by the recent dam breaches that resulted in severe flooding, causing extensive damage to property and infrastructure and necessitating humanitarian assistance for hundreds of affected residents.

Minister Majodina tasked departmental engineers with conducting a thorough investigation into the dam failures. After a two-week inquiry, the preliminary report was finalized and handed over to the Minister on Monday. The department has stated that Majodina will review the findings before making them public in due course.

Majodina praised the swift response by the team of engineers, led by Wally Ramokopa, Head of the Specialist Unit: Dam Safety. Their efforts helped prevent further disaster in the region and quickly identified the factors contributing to the dam failures.

Although the Department of Water and Sanitation does not own the dams in question, it holds a regulatory role over all dams across South Africa, ensuring their safety and integrity. The findings from this investigation will be crucial in understanding what went wrong and in preventing similar incidents in the future.

The Minister emphasized the importance of these findings for public safety and the need for continued vigilance in maintaining and regulating dam infrastructure throughout the country.

 

 

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