Call for flamingo dam probe
2008-08-19 20:27
Kimberley - A commission of inquiry should investigate Kimberley's Kamfers Dam saga, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) in the Northern Cape said on Tuesday.
Provincial party leader Francois van Wyk called for Premier Dipuo Peters to launch an investigation due to the dam's international importance.
"The controversy over the planned development, allegations that raw sewage is already pouring into the dam as well as serious allegations made in a TV report on 50/50 (a conservation programme), we request the premier to urgently appoint a commission of enquiry."
Van Wyk said the province's economy was dependent on eco-tourism.
"The damage [caused] nationally and internationally over the suspension of three senior conservation officials who worked closely with the flamingo project is huge."
He said the Kamfers Dam issue, especially allegations of corruption linked to the development near the dam, must be made public.
Tight-lipped on officials? suspension
Van Wyk said the commission should consist of an independent legal expert, a member of the Green Scorpions and an independent environmentalist.
The Northern Cape conservation authority was tight-lipped on why the three senior conservation officials had been suspended last week.
One of them was the renowned ornithologist Mark Anderson, known for his efforts to establish and protect a lesser flamingo bird colony at the dam.
Spokesperson for the Northern Cape Environment and Conservation Department, OB Philips, said the "precautionary suspension" of the three officials was an internal matter and that they could not comment.
- SAPA