Thank you Chairperson and thank you Minister. Minister, considering the fact that these regulations have been published even before the regulations regarding certain environmental laws that prohibit the pollution of rivers were published, we are all aware of the excessively large environmental disaster that have occurred in the Dusi River. Drinking water was
made completely unusable for the local communities and cleanup efforts to mitigate the effects of this disaster are going to take years. Does your department intent to criminally charge the CEO and all companies or any other liable person who were criminally negligent allowing this disaster to occur?
The MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon member, at
this stage, I cannot answer that question. We sent officials to that area of contamination and we have been working together with officials from the province and also from the municipality. I am not in the position to tell you the exact outcome and direction of that investigation in this sitting. That is the specifics that you can write to me about, and I can answer it. But I think what is important to say is that I visited the City of Ethekwini ...