Africa-Press – South-Africa. A KwaZulu-Natal farmer is expected to pay a whopping R1.5 million administrative fee after he illegally constructed a dam “beyond the boundary or limit” so that he would have water for his farming business.
Nigel Pres Blaker, owner of South Downs and Portion 1 Winchester Farm, built the dam without the required water use authorisation.
According to KwaZulu-Natal Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson Wisane Mavasa, the dam was discovered in 2018 during a compliance monitoring inspection.
As a result, Blaker was issued with a directive instructing him to cease the unlawful water use and to demolish the dam.
A criminal case was also opened with the Estcourt police, Mavasa said.
The department entered into a mediation agreement with Blaker in terms of which he has to pay the R1.5 million administrative fee. He also has to apply for water use authorisation within 60 days and the department concurred that the application would be subjected to normal processes.
Mavasa said the department would continue to clamp down on illegal water usage as part of their work to regulate the water and sanitation sector.
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