Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMB) says businesses around the Markman industrial area have filed a class action against the Metro and the illegal manganese operators.
The Metro has described the illegal manganese ore operation in the area as festering cancer.
It says only one company is operating legally in the area and the rest set up shop during the 2020 hard lockdown and are now opening illegal operations in other parts of the city.
Members of the City's Mayoral Committee conducted an oversight visit in the area which they say has become an eyesore due to the dilapidated roads caused by the overloaded manganese trucks.
Corporate Services head, Annette Lovemore, says it is estimated that it will cost around R50 million to repair the damaged roads in the area.
Lovemore says that illegal operations are a multi-faceted problem which involves several directorates.
She says the Municipality has adopted a standard operating procedure document which includes all of the legislation that pertains to manganese operations.
"There is nothing new in this standard operating procedure, it simply takes everything that exists and puts it all in one document which states how we are going to tackle the manganese ore operations" she added.
Lovemore says Metro Executive Mayor, Retief Odendaal, has tasked each mayoral committee member involved to take things forward.
She also added that the Municipality needs to review its fines schedules to become a real deterrent.
"Any of these operators can be asked to put in place a dust monitoring programme and they need to report on this monthly, and if they do not report and they are charged- a first-time offender can pay up to R5 million," Lovemore said.
Meanwhile, political head for Human Settlements, Tukela Zumani, says his directorate is taking a no-nonsense approach as these manganese operations do not add any value to the Metro's economy and are instead bleeding it dry.
Zumani says before the businesses can apply for legal permits they would need to stop operating until that process is done according to the Metro's legislation.
He says permits are put in place to protect the communities surrounding the area, the environment and the city's economy.
