Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
After an explosion of political mudslinging, Newcastle took centre stage during the final leg of the Local Government Elections 2021 (LGE 2021).
The town made national news following the Newcastle Municipality constructing damning claims against a local industrial laundry owner and politician, Faizel Cassim.
Accusing Cassim of polluting Newcastle’s water supply, on Sunday, 3 October 2021, the Newcastle Municipality issued a radical statement claiming they had learned with shock and dismay of the culprit behind the contamination of Newcastle’s Amcor Dam and Ncandu River.
The Newcastle Municipality’s statement explained that its preliminary investigation established that these water sources contamination and ‘magical foam’ were orchestrated.
“It has also been established that chemical pollutants were deliberately channelled to the Amcor Dam waterfall with the intention to stir public fury. Further, the municipality officials have also found that during the orchestration of this deliberate pollution, the perpetrators filmed the entire ordeal before distributing footage on social media,” the municipality said at the time.
The municipality explained it made law enforcement authorities and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Environmental Affairs aware of this alleged sabotage.
But, once again raising another red flag, as per previous articles, the municipality was aware of the seasoned water pollution issues. They were well aware of the filthy state of Amcor Dam and the Ncundu River, especially as the Newcastillian – Online News had been covering the topic prior to the allegations against Cassim—always forwarding the municipality opportunity to comment when required.
The concerns of the contaminated water reached such a point that the Newcastillian – Online News, receiving no workability and mostly hostility from the Newcastle Municipality, contacted the National Department of Water and Sanitation for guidance and assistance as the problem needed to be resolved.
The department then performed a site survey, gave detailed, credible feedback and assured they would push the local municipality to sort out all the issues contaminating the water sources.
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Furthermore, the Newcastle Municipality raised a massive red flag when the government entity went as far as to name Cassim and his political position on various occasions. This, while earmarking him and his business as the culprits.
A statement issued at the time reads, “The municipality calls upon Faizel Cassim, the owner of the laundry and the alleged mastermind behind this environmental hazard, to cooperate and comply with investigations.”
Following what can only be described as chaos with even the Newcastillian – Online News team enduring threats for our persistence in obtaining the truth—the Newcastle Municipality headed to the Pietermaritzburg High Court to begin proceedings against Cassim on 6 October 2021.
The High Court ordered Cassim’s business to cease operations for 30 days. The laundry further received an interdict for disposing of any effluent and contaminants into the stormwater drainage and sewer system.
But, as one can well imagine, the plot thickens.
At the time, Newcastle Municipality’s Head of Communications, Mlungisi Khumalo, who was quite outspoken on the subject, commented on the court’s initial decision. “The Newcastle Municipality unreservedly welcomes the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling against a Newcastle industrial laundry, which is believed to have been deliberately disposing pollutants into the Amcor Dam’s waterfall and Ncandu River.”
The Newcastle Municipality claimed that the consistent and years old issue of “Magical foam” floating down Amcor Dam (which often appeared after heavy rainfalls) was due to Cassims Laundry. This is bearing in mind that his laundry was only established in its current location in 2019.
Nonetheless, considering the ruling, the former Mayor, Cllr Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, called for a team of environmental experts and the municipality to immediately establish a strategy to cleanse Amcor Dam and surrounding water sources.
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With Cassim’s laundry carrying the blame for a historical issue and an intense election season now over, the matter waged on behind courtroom doors.
Apart from this, the entire approach to the situation got out of hand in the build-up to now. Cassim stated that he was under constant attack from municipal staff while dealing with the challenges placed on his business. This affected not only his employees and livelihood but his fledgling political career.
Nevertheless, now a few months on, the Newcastle Municipality was once again contacted for comment on the subject. However, this time, the tone has changed, and aggression has given way to pleasantries.
Despite being exceptionally vocal after the allegations were first made, Khumalo opted not to delve into the matter.
He simply said, “I strongly propose that he (Cassim) be the one to furnish you with the relevant legal information and keep you up to date with the recent happenings.”
KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (KZN CoGta) also declined to comment, stating, “It is standard practice for the department to not comment on matters that are before a court of law.”
Speaking to Cassim, it has been established that the case is currently being withdrawn, and he is not the guilty party as initially implied by the Newcastle Municipality.
Reflecting on the long and arduous journey he was forced to undertake over the past few months, the battle-worn Cassim says, “I now need to clear my name, and find finalisation on the matter.”
Due to the seriousness of the allegations, Cassim highlights that his business has basically seen a total shutdown of six months, with no work coming through. His clientele instead going to his competitors. This, in turn, saw him lose numerous skilled workers as he could not afford to keep staff on.
Providing a specific figure, Cassim affirms that 60 staff members lost their jobs due to the political turmoil.
“Overall, the whole matter has impacted us heavily on a financial level, as we also lost our seasonal orders. It has damaged my company’s reputation, with clients who were with us for 13 years now stepping away.”
Weary from the months of struggle, he says, “Both my political and business careers, which took me 26 years to build, were damaged.”
On top of this, Cassim highlights that he and his family’s lives were put in danger by the municipality’s accusations. The community thought that his business had deliberately polluted the town’s water supply.
Now, as the case is being withdrawn, Cassim is determined to find a resolution on the matter, one who sees all the damages and losses he has suffered now being settled.
With this unbelievable story concluding, only three questions remain. What will Government be doing to the guilty parties from the Newcastle Municipality for such an undemocratic act? How much is Cassim suing who for, and what are your thoughts on the situation?
Share your views in the comment section below.
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Comments 4
So much cover up and the innocent people have to suffer its terrible
I believe that Cassim must be compensated for loss off income and damage to his reputation which was viewed on National TV and radio news ….His name was dragged through the mud ..building a business for 26 years and now watching this all fall to pieces is heart breaking
Tyd dat die saak oopgevlek word en dat onskuldige beskuldigde se name en besigheid in ere herstel word met gepaste vergoeding vir skade aangedoenDries
It is the municipality’s job to collect samples from every industrial premises catchpit every month for testing to ensure that the river is kept healthy. If this was being done, the municipality would have known which business was responsible before the foam reached the river and stopped the effluent and rectified the problem. Is this monthly task being done? By the looks of things no and this like all other services has fallen by the way side.