There were three major sewer blockages in Utlwanong Street, which is one of the main streets in Kagiso. Waste was flowing down the street, posing a health risk. As a result, people couldn’t even walk along this specific street, and even cars had to make a u-turn and make use of alternative routes. In simple terms, the street was a no-go area.
Imagine if tourists were in town and saw waste running down a street like that. How bad would such a scene be for our image? It would send the wrong message entirely. As a matter of fact, it would’ve been disgusting. Fortunately for us, there were no tourists in town.
However, this is not about tourists but rather citizens who were directly affected by this running waste.
When I saw the blockages, I immediately posted on Baagi ba Mogale, a Facebook page created for Mogale City citizens, and subsequently enjoyed a large following. The Ward Councillor, Doreen Davids, saw the post and reported it. In less than an hour, the blockages were attended to.
The waste was cleaned up, and I was impressed. This is what we call service delivery.
During the rainy season, we are going to experience a lot of manhole blockages. This is because our sewer pipes run parallel with storm water pipes. So when it rains, water runs into sewer pipes, resulting in manholes overflowing. I hope the municipality will respond promptly when there are manhole blockages during this season, as it did with the Utlwanong case.
