Environmental experts have reiterated the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng’s concerns about the Gauteng Provincial Government’s (GPG) decision to relocate the 2022 Mamelodi flood victims to Cullinan Heritage site confirming that building in this wetland would endanger environmental preservation and jeopardise the cultural heritage.
During a recent oversight inspection at Cullinan Heritage site, environmental experts highlighted that there could be a number of threatened species of plants, animals, and fungi in this area that are on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which tracks the extinction of species around the world. The expert’s assessment confirms the three failed environmental impact studies that have been ignored by the City of Tshwane. The city is undertaking yet another environmental impact assessment hoping for different results.
The DA Gauteng has long warned that proceeding with this proposed construction despite all warning signs will have serious consequences. Aside from affecting the rich historical and cultural significance woven into the fabric of this land, we now know that it will endanger a fragile ecosystem that serves as a natural water filtration system and wildlife habitat.
We cannot overstress the need for Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government to put their arrogance aside and accept that they were wrong in the first place to choose this site despite all the warnings not to do so. They would do well to heed the call of the DA and these highly qualified and regarded experts to reverse this decision, which undermines this sacred space in the name of urban development.
Finding an alternative location for the residents of Mamelodi would be a good starting point. Such a move would serve the flood victims’ needs and also protect this land which has significant environmental and cultural value.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would have considered the results of the environmental impact studies and the voices of the Cullinan residents who are against this development. In addition, we would have acted swiftly to identify an alternative location for the victims who have been waiting since 2022 to be moved to a safe and permanent site while the Gauteng government continues to defend its rash decision.