Melikhaya Zagagana12 August 2024 | 6:57

Flood-hit Riverlands community claims the Swartland Municipality were told about risk to dams

According to some residents, municipal officials were informed about the risk of the dams in 2023 by its community leaders.

Flood-hit Riverlands community claims the Swartland Municipality were told about risk to dams

The aftermath of flooding in Riverlands, near Malmesbury in the Western Cape, after three dam retention walls collapsed on 8 August 2024. Picture: Melikhaya Zagagana/EWN

CAPE TOWN - The Riverlands community said the Swartland Municipality’s refusal to take responsibility for the collapse of the three dams does not come as a surprise.

According to some residents, municipal officials were informed about the risk of the dams in 2023 by its community leaders.

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However, the municipality’s mayor, Harold Cleophas, told Eyewitness News he couldn’t have known about the state of the dams because the property that it was located on was within the City of Cape Town’s boundary.

Riverlands community leader Marlon Truter said: "Right now, we are sitting, and I have on record sent an email two weeks ago to Swartland Municipality where the current area that has been affected was flooded due to heavy rains. The cause could have been that the dams were overflowing, but the area was already. I have it on record where I have sent it to disaster management."