Central SA
Dead fish to be removed from North West dam─── 12:51 Tue, 15 Aug 2023
The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality and Mahikeng Local Municipality in North West on Monday introduced a contractor to clean up the Tontonyane Dam and restore its ecosystem.
This will take five weeks and about 20 local people will be employed.
Two months ago, OFM News reported about a young man who drowned in the dam while fishing. North West police spokesperson Adele Myburgh told OFM News at the time illegal fishing nets prevented divers from searching for his body.
Ngaka Modiri Molema District Mayor Khumalo Molefe said the employed locals will be taught skills they can use to care for the dam after the project’s completion. Fish in the dam have died in large numbers, necessitating a cleanup.
OFM News learned that phase one of the cleanup will focus on the removal, transportation, and disposal of dead fish at Holfontein Waste, a landfill site in line with the Waste Requirements Act.
During the second phase, the contractor would undertake bio-remediation activities where the ecosystem is restored, ensuring any form of hazard is eliminated through micro-organisms and oxygen boosters. Fish will then be reintroduced into the dam.
