WC govt plans to bring class action on behalf of Riverlands disaster victims
More than 200 people were affected by devastating floods that swept through the small farming community, just outside Cape Town in August last year.
The aftermath of flooding in Riverlands, near Malmesbury in the Western Cape, after three dam retention walls collapsed on 8 August 2024. Picture: Supplied
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell says plans to bring a class action on behalf of Riverlands disaster victims are at an advanced stage.
More than 200 people were affected by devastating floods that swept through the small farming community, just outside Cape Town in August last year.
This was after four dam walls collapsed at a nearby farm owned by the Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Department.
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A preliminary report released by Majodina points a finger at the property owners.
It suggests that the department failed to check if the dams were properly registered when it took over ownership of the property.
Local Government MEC Anton Bredell explained: "I do know that the municipality has started or is very far down the Inter-governmental Relations Framework Act that they need to use to bring a class action on behalf of the community against the national department, and they will continue with that because somebody must support and help the municipality as well."
Bredell says the municipality has assured him that there won't be a repeat of last year.
"The dams are still open so what they expect is that it would be a continuous flow of water, not a dam that will burst and a lot of water comes at once. So, they are quite confident."