‘We can’t live like this’ — Ermelo tenants plea for help

A long-running dispute over water and sewage problems has left one tenant unable to live in her municipal home.

5 hours ago

Wayne van der Walt 1 minute read

Standing water has accumulated beside the municipal houses. — Standing water pools alongside the municipal houses, with tenants saying the problem has remained unresolved for nearly two months. Photo: Wayne van der Walt

ERMELO – Two tenants living in municipal houses in Murray Street say ongoing water and sewage problems have left them struggling with deteriorating living conditions.

Latest water problem persists

Lorraine Mc Neill and Tersia Danhouser say the latest problem began nearly two months ago when what appears to be a burst water pipe resulted in large amounts of water accumulating around their homes.

Mc Neill says years of water and sewage entering her home have damaged carpets, couches and other belongings. She eventually vacated the house and is staying with Danhouser.

Stagnant water accumulated next to two municipal houses. — Stagnant water has accumulated next to the municipal houses, where tenants say the problem has persisted for nearly two months. Photo: Wayne van der Walt

Tenants raise health and safety concerns

The tenants say they have repeatedly reported the problems to the municipality, but that promised interventions did not take place.

Danhouser says stagnant water remains around the houses and that algae has formed in the standing water.

The women have also raised concerns about non-functioning lights on the premises and safety.

Mc Neill alleges that faulty wiring combined with water at her home caused her to receive shocks when bathing.

Empty kitchen with apparent water damage to the walls. — The empty kitchen shows what appears to be water damage to the walls. The tenant says she vacated the house after the living conditions became untenable. Photo: Wayne van der Walt

Municipality asked to intervene

PA members Silvija Breytenbach and Sonicha Korczynski visited the property yesterday and contacted the municipality to urgently intervene.

Highvelder sent photographs and video evidence to Mandla Zwane, spokesperson for Msukaligwa Municipality, and is awaiting a response.

Carpets inside Lorraine Mc Neill’s home affected by years of reported water and sewage exposure. — Carpets inside Lorraine Mc Neill’s home remain affected by what she describes as years of water and sewage entering the house. She says the carpets have retained an unpleasant smell. Photo: Wayne van der Walt

Read more about these details in the Highvelder’s printed edition.

At Caxton, every story is written by humans. We use AI only to perform quality checks - never to generate the news. Happy reading!

5 hours ago

Wayne van der Walt 1 minute read

Wayne van der Walt

Wayne van der Walt, with around 15 years in the media industry, is editor of Highvelder Newspaper. His accolades include Frewin Awards for Newspaper of the Year and Front Page of the Year, and FCJ Photographer of the Year, among other honours.