The Cockscomb farmer whose large‚ illegal dam sparked safety fears due to leaks‚ has been slapped with a whopping R1.5-million fine – and many others could be in the firing line.
The farmer‚ Alastair Rudman‚ said he planned to appeal against the “ridiculous” penalty‚ but his neighbours have welcomed the news.
Other farmers in the Eastern Cape’s Kouga region who have built dams illegally have been warned that they could face similar sanctions – or worse.
This comes only a month after the Department of Water and Sanitation revealed that it had found more than 1‚000 illegal dams on farms bordering the Kouga River and its network of tributaries‚ siphoning off water unlawfully.