Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 59 Councillor, Bulelani Matenjwa, will oppose a new manganese depot in Grahamstown Road planned by Markman-based logistics company, Miltrans.
In an exclusive interview with the Echo, Matenjwa said he was flabbergasted that the company was even considering establishing a manganese depot in the midst of a suburban area. He said Motherwell Ext 5 was only a few hundred metres west of the proposed site of the depot and a similar distance from Wells Estate on the Eastern side. The site was previously owned by EP Bricks.
Matenjwa believed there would be a buildup of manganese dust within two years that would pose health risks to residents of these two suburbs. Furthermore, the dust could contaminate vegetables and rainwater tanks. and dirty household items such as curtains and laundry.
He noted that the small Aloes settlement further down the road would also not be spared. A further risk to the settlement was that manganese dust would enter the Markman Canal. This would be a hazard for domestic pets and livestock that often drank water from the canal. The manganese would also land up in the Swartkops River into which the canal flows.
Another big concern was that Grahamstown Road was not built to handle the heavy load of the manganese trucks. Matenjwa believes the additional trucks on the road will cause huge disruption in peak hour traffic from Motherwell into Gqeberha in the mornings and again in the evenings as motorists returned to Motherwell.
Matenjwa said he has already written to the Municipal Department of Economics, Tourism and Agriculture to obtain their input. He has also written to the Public Health’s Department and would be writing to the Road and Transport Department.
He has already sought a meeting with Miltrans and would consult with other Zwartkops Conservancy and the Bluewater Bay and Swartkops Ratepayers Association (BWBSRA) and other role players.
In November, BWBSRA led a small delegation, including Zwartkops Conservancy, on a visit to the proposed site of the depot, where they met with Frans Stapelberg, owner of Miltrans.
Stapelberg insisted that all necessary steps were being taken to reduce any chances of pollution. He said manganese ore would be stored under cover from where it would be transferred into containers for shipment. Dust buckets would be installed to monitor manganese pollution and any sludge resulting from dampening the manganese ore would be disposed of in a sludge dam that would meet all of the requirements.
Turning to possible damage to Grahamstown Road, Stapelberg said container weights would be restricted to limits of 27 tons a load as prescribed by the harbour authorities. He said the only portion of the road to be used was between the depot and the Addo Road, but he could not guarantee that truck drivers would not head down Grahamstown Road to cross the Swartkops River via the “Smartie” bridge.
BWBSRA and Zwartkops Conservancy are considering Stapelberg’s responses and are undertaking further consultations before passing any comment.
