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The Democratic Alliance (DA) will carefully monitor criminal charges relating to an environmental pollution investigation in the northern KZN town of Newcastle, after what appears to be a pre-election political stunt gone wrong.

The Amcor Dam and associated Ncandu River were recently contaminated after a Newcastle laundry owner allegedly allowed effluent to escape his premises and enter the watercourse.

The owner, who is now subject to investigation by KZN’s Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Committee (EDTEA), is believed to have diverted effluent into the river to cause public alarm and gain political traction ahead of the 1 November local government election.

Footage in possession of the DA clearly points to the laundry and screen-printer being responsible for the pollution. Unless this can be proven otherwise, the DA will remain reliant on this footage.

Whether a political stunt or not – this most recent environmental contamination is utterly unacceptable and comes in the wake of our province's rivers and sea being placed under continual assault from sewerage and chemical spills.

South Africa has, for far too long, allowed environmental degradation to go unchecked, severely damaging sensitive ecosystems and jeopardizing economic and tourism development.

The DA still maintains that only extraordinarily harsh fines and jail time will halt the trend of wanton pollution, a scourge which not only damages the environment but infringes on the human rights of all citizens.

That politics is allegedly behind the spill aggravates the situation further and points to the depths some parties will go to in their quest for power. It is irresponsible to make sanctimonious speeches while having fingers simultaneously pointed at you for doing the same wrong you accuse others of.

As with all major environmental incidents, the DA will ensure the criminal and EDTEA investigation is exhaustive and leads to successful prosecutions.

Issued by DA KZN Spokesperson on EDTEA, Heinz de Boer, MPL