'Iscor knew of pollution years ago'

2002-10-02 10:02

Elise Tempelhoff

Johannesburg - Iscor realised more than 40 years ago that its activities outside Vanderbijlpark were causing a massive ecological problem in the area, the Johannesburg High Court has been told.

In 1961, Iscor undertook in a report to get rid of its silt dams or to line them so that water could not leak into the underground supplies in the area.

David Soggot, senior legal counsel for smallholding residents of Steel Valley and Linkholm, said in the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday: "It is 40 years later. The dams, of an average size 40 years ago, have since grown enormous, covering an area of about 2km². They have not been lined."

Soggot was delivering argument before Judge Mike Hellens on Tuesday. He represents 16 smallholding residents, who have taken Iscor to court to try to force the industrial giant to stop its alleged polluting activities.

The smallholders claim Iscor's activities are polluting the underground water with, among other things, dangerous heavy metals.

Have had to bring in water

Some of them say they have various illnesses because of their earlier use of the water. They have since refrained from using their boreholes and must bring in water.

They claimed, also, they had no infrastructure and had been dependent on their boreholes for water.

Some of them fetched water from town, while others used four taps that were connected for their use, two years ago, in the Emfuleni local authority area.

Soggot produced several reports written by the department of water affairs to Iscor to encourage them to stop the pollution.

Iscor apparently never responded. The department repeatedly renewed Iscor's water permits, despite the warnings they had sent out.

The High Court also heard that Iscor had spent more than R100m in the past few years, buying more of the land surrounding its plant outside Vanderbijlpark.

They bought about 100 smallholdings in the area on the insistence of the department after the alleged pollution. In 2000, Iscor reached a settlement with another 100 smallholders to buy their properties for R33m.

Iscor will probably present its argument towards the end of the week.

The hearing continues.

- Beeld