The relocation of the 2022 Mamelodi flood victims to the identified heritage site near Refilwe, Cullinan, will not only endanger environmental preservation and the cultural heritage site. It will also put more strain on the Rayton sewer and waste water treatment plant which is already failing.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng is calling on the Gauteng Provincial Government to urgently find an alternative site to move the 2022 Mamelodi flood victims
We have conducted numerous oversight inspections of the proposed site which is on a wetland and found that this will negatively impact the ecological system and the waste water treatment plant.
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Should the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) continue with this relocation, the Rayton sewer and waste water treatment plant will collapse. This means sewage will flow straight into the Elands River, which feeds into communities, ecosystems, and the site where the Mamelodi flood victims will be relocated.
This is unacceptable as our residents need to be able to live in a dignified environment and not be put back in the same situation they are meant to be removed from. This is another humanitarian crisis in the making.
During his 2025 State of the Province Address (SOPA) this year, Premier Panyaza Lesufi indicated that the Green Scorpions had made significant strides in enforcing environmental laws. However, this is ironic because Premier Lesufi’s government now wants to move residents to a heritage site and a wetland. This decision will also negatively impact tourism in the area they claim to be supporting to grow.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would immediately take steps to identify an alternative location for the 2022 Mamelodi flood victims. Furthermore, the objections from residents of Cullinan to the proposed development for the flood victims.