OR Tambo District Municipality has dispelled, as false information, the claims making rounds on social media that the district authority opened the sluice gates at Mthatha Dam leading to loss of life and destruction of property.
In a statement on Friday, June 13, the municipality said it was aware of the claims denying there were sluice gates at Mthatha Dam. “There are no sluice gates to open. The Mthatha Dam operates with uncontrolled spillways, which means water flows automatically when the dam reaches full capacity. No one controls or triggers this; it is an engineering safeguard, not a municipal decision,” the statement said.
On the day President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the area as a response to the floods that have so far taken over 70 lives and destroyed a multitude of property, the municipality urged community members to trust only official government information and avoid forwarding unverified information.
“In times like these, misinformation is dangerous. It fuels panic, confuses communities and undermines the real work being done to protect and support our people. We are on the ground, we are responding and we are restoring services. Let the truth rise above the noise,” the municipality said.
