Medical waste buried at game farm
2009-12-03 10:10
Welkom - The co-owner of a game farm outside Welkom, where the Green Scorpions and investigators from environmental affairs struck on Wednesday morning and unearthed dangerous medical waste, allegedly had no idea what was buried in the farthest corner of the farm.
A visibly upset Joubre Knoessen told Volksblad on the farm on Wednesday that he'd done a favour for a friend (Gavin Brasher), and now he's the one in trouble.
Knoessen said that after the first newspaper reports regarding the dumping of medical waste at Brasher's business in Welkom on Saturday, he "put two and two together and realised that it might also be what is buried on the farm".
He says he was contacted by Brasher last Tuesday, who told him two of his loads were on their way from Durban and he needed space to bury all the refuse.
Game enclosure
Knoessen made a corner of a game enclosure available, on condition that the ground would be made neat and level again.
On Wednesday morning he gave the investigating team access to the game enclosure immediately and said "he would lay all his cards on the table".
He told Volksblad afterwards, that during the digging on the farm, he still hoped that whatever was buried there wasn't what the police suspected it to be.
Shortly after the first bags of medical waste were unearthed, Knoessen asked the media to leave the farm.
On Wednesday afternoon Brasher acknowledged through his attorney, Hannes Peyper, that he had also buried medical waste on Knoessen's farm without Knoessen having known what it is.
The police also visited a transport business belonging to Knoessen's father, Willie Knoessen, in Odendaalsrus on Tuesday.
Volksblad has heard that a trailer which was found there, and apparently rented from them by Brasher, is also part of the investigation.
Sabotage allegations
Meanwhile, Sonnyboy Bapela, chief director of control services at the Department of Environmental Affairs, has said there is no proof to support Brasher's allegations that he was approached by Wasteman's opposition and offered R5m to cheat Wasteman.
About 300 tons of dangerous medical waste was dug up on Friday by the Green Scorpions and an investigating team from environmental affairs at Maximus Bricks in Welkom, which belongs to Brasher.
Following an instruction from Brasher, Peyper told Volksblad on Sunday afternoon that he (Brasher) was bribed by the opposition to sabotage Wasteman, with whom he has a contract for the transport of medical waste from Durban to the incinerator at Klerksdorp.
Bapela says Brasher will be expected to provide the investigating team with comprehensive information regarding the allegations he's made.
Brasher is facing a maximum fine of R10m or 10 years in prison if he is found guilty of the various transgressions of the Environment Conservation Act.
Loads of medical waste buried
Peyper told Volksblad that Brasher acknowledges that, apart from at his premises at Maximus Bricks, he also buried loads of medical waste on Knoessen's farm, on the show grounds in Welkom and at a gold mine outside the city.
The ground at the mine could possibly be opened by the investigators on Thursday.
Dewald Kirsten, head of Lejweleputswa district health, went to the areas himself on Wednesday.
He says the district has very good control mechanisms regarding its own medical waste, and knows about each and every bag loaded or unloaded from local hospitals.
He assures residents that they will ensure that medical waste buried here but originating outside the district; will be removed from the district and disposed of in a proper manner