*CAPE TOWN SEA OF SEWAGE TAKES DOWN STORMERS PLAYER* *GOOD* Press Statement by *Suzette Little,* *GOOD* City of Cape Town Councillor & Caucus Chairperson 06 February 2025 The GOOD Party once again calls on the City of Cape Town to engage with industry experts, academics, medical doctors and marine conservationists regarding testing protocols at the City’s beaches. In January we wrote to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to request an urgent joint committee meeting of the following portfolios: Water and Sanitation; Community Services and Health; Planning and Environment. We are yet to hear back from the Mayor. Last month, a citizen-driven investigation, compiled by Dr. Jo Barnes, Senior Lecturer and Emeritus Epidemiologist at Stellenbosch University, and Prof. Leslie Petrik, Professor of Chemistry at the University of the Western Cape, revealed the presence of sewage pollution on certain Cape Town beaches on specific dates during November and December 2024. However instead of engaging with the scientists to discuss their methodology and explain their findings, the City ignored them and rather put their PR machine on overdrive. Now not even a month later, Netwerk24 is reporting that the provincial Rugby team, the Stormers is a man down, not because of injury but due to an E.Coli infection he allegedly contracted whilst swimming in Camps Bay. The City currently has no effluent quantity discharge limit after the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Dion George suspended the limit. The City cannot continue to pump raw sewage, that has passed through nothing more than a sieve, without doing further due diligence. They are taking a reckless gamble with public health and safety. As GOOD, we send our well wishes to the Stormers player. However we do hope this high profile case finally knocks some common sense into City officials. If the City has nothing to hide, they should willingly engage with the experts.