Residents fed up with sewage stench
About 100 families in Extension 8 are prisoners in their own homes, trapped by raw sewage. This has reportedly been running into their houses and yards for decades.
About 100 families in Extension 8 are prisoners in their own homes, trapped by raw sewage.
This has reportedly been running into their houses and yards for decades.
There is an odour over affected houses. Everything they flush, comes right back in. They sleep with frogs inside their waterlogged homes and raw sewage could be seen flowing into the Marambane River. They also claim that when it rains, they struggle to walk in the street as the sewage floods the streets.
Residents say they have been reporting the issue for years while councillors come and go, but the stink remains, as the sewage disposal system is not properly maintained.
The families claim that frequent blockages in the pipe system have sent sewage flowing into their yards surrounding their homes, which is a breeding ground for water-borne diseases.
Now the community says the Mpumalanga government must intervene, because Thaba Chweu Local Municipality has failed them for years.
Each afternoon Nokuthula Mathebula* sweeps the water that spills from the toilet into her house.
Her shack is surrounded by dark sewer water, making it unpleasant to close to the door.
“This is my home. There is nowhere I can go, even though the situation is unbearable. We have been complaining to the municipality for all these years, but we still have the stench of these sewers daily.”
Eating is a struggle, but she has learned to live with it.
Nokuthula alleges that her five-year-old daughter contracted a chronic disease from the sewage stench.
The hospital suspected that she might have tuberculosis, requiring her to stop working and stay at Steve Biko Hospital for six months, where the child will be tested for other infections.
Residents alleged that the big cracks in a number of houses were the result of sewer water seeping in from beneath the surface.
They allege that whenever they report the issue to the municipality, they are told that the municipality will hire a contractor to come fix the leaks, to no avail.
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Steelburger/Lydenburg News asked Thaba Chweu Local Municipality why is it failing to repair the sewer leaks in the area.
According to TCLM communications manager, Themba Sibiya, the municipality officials are aware of the sewer leaks at Extension 8.
“The sewer leaks were attended to on several occasions, however we have since discovered that there are elements of vandalism and theft involved. A transformer for the sewer pump was recently stolen, leaving the plant without electricity.”
Sibiya said the challenge is also compounded by the fact that the water and sewer infrastructure in the area was not properly constructed and there are houses which have been illegally built on top of the main sewer line. “Our legal team and the building inspector are attending to the problem.The amount of work that must be done in the area to fix the infrastructure requires a new project be undertaken all together.
“Necessary technical reports have been developed and will be used as business plans to source funding to redesign and reconstruct the water and sewer networks in that area,” he added.
