FF PLUS ASKS FOR STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER PRETORIA REFUSE
The Freedom Front Plus appealed to the Tshwane metro municipality to declare a municipal state of emergency in terms of the State of Emergency Management Act no. 57 of 2000 in order to prevent a waste disaster in Pretoria . The FF Plus said that a serious health crisis is threatening Pretoria which justifies a municipal state of emergency.
According to Dr. Conrad Beyers, FF Plus councillor, the local ANC misled residents by declaring with huge fanfare that the strike by refuse workers would end last Monday and that the situation would return to normal this week.
The FF Plus however received reports that refuse heaps are increasing across the city. These areas include: Lynnwood , Pretoria Gardens , Valhalla, Pierre van Ryneveld, Rooihuiskraal, Zwartkop, Die Hoewes, Faerie Glen, Menlo Park , Groenkloof, Waterkloof Heights , Waterkloof Ridge, Murrayfield Park , Erasmuskloof, Waverley , Lynwood Ridge, Colbyn and Brummeria.
The State of Emergency Management Act allows for the city council to use funds, personnel, equipment and any other resources to address a crisis. This includes the appointment of temporary staff and private businesses. It also grants a municipality the power to call on the Metro Police and other emergency workers temporarily to help solve the problem.
"The State of Emergency Management Act compels a municipality to take the necessary steps in case of an emergency threat. This means that the Tshwane metro is now required by law to intervene immediately to protect its residents", Beyers said.
The FF Plus said that any further negligence by the ANC to make alternative arrangements for waste removal may lead to a disaster in the city. "While the problem could have been effectively dealt with at a much earlier stage, the fact that the ANC acted as a passive spectator of the worsening situation has created a serious crisis."
Statement issued by Dr. Conrad Beyers, Freedom Front Plus Councillor: Tshwane Metro, January 13 2010
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