Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Jack Bloom contacted activist Rev Modise Molefe after report on residents battling raw sewage.
Human rights activist Reverend Modise Molefe. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
The plight of Gauteng’s Boipatong township’s residents, who have been exposed to raw sewage for more than two years, has caught the attention of Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Jack Bloom.
He has since contacted human rights activist and president of the Reliable Environmental Protection and Care Agency (Repca), Rev Modise Molefe, following The Citizen’s report on residents battling raw sewage.
Bloom contacted activist after report on residents battling raw sewage
Molefe said Bloom contacted him after reading the report, which highlighted the plight of 63-year-old Masetumo Marago, whose home in Batloung Street has been affected by sewage for about two years.
Marago lives with her daughter and elderly father, and has described the conditions as unbearable.
A medical report linked her bronchitis to prolonged exposure to sewage odours.
Molefe said Bloom’s intervention had resulted in the Boipatong crisis being escalated to Gauteng provincial structures, while discussions are also expected to take place around the wider collapse of water and sanitation services in Emfuleni.
But he warned residents would judge the latest intervention by what happens on the ground.
Crisis escalated to Gauteng provincial structures
“Our communities have grown weary of political prose; we are looking for immediate, measurable execution on the ground to halt these ‘inhuman’ sewage spillages,” Molefe said.
He said Repca and its human rights coalition would monitor three developments arising from their engagement with Bloom.
The first is an engagement between Bloom, Rand Water and the Vaal Anti-Pollution Forum.
Molefe said he expected the meeting to result in “immediate structural interventions” to get the forum operating effectively and address pollution affecting the Vaal system.
The second is the planned special purpose vehicle (SPV) for Emfuleni.
Three developments
Molefe said the coalition would monitor whether the SPV remained on track for December and whether it would finally enable systemic replacement of ageing and failing sewer infrastructure.
The third is the escalation of the Batloung Street crisis to Gauteng provincial leadership.
According to Molefe, Bloom confirmed the specific crisis had been referred to Gauteng department of water and sanitation head Justice Maluleke, who then escalated the matter to Emfuleni municipal manager, April Ntuli, for progress tracking.
Molefe subsequently wrote to Ntuli, informing him that Gauteng government leadership had taken notice of the crisis.
He has, however, questioned whether the municipality should be expected to resolve the crisis independently, while Emfuleni remains subject to a national intervention under Section 63 of the Water Services Act.
Intervention requires national structures
He argued the intervention requires national structures and their implementing agents to provide the resources, technical capacity and executive leadership needed to restore the municipality’s collapsed water and sanitation infrastructure.
Molefe said he would keep Bloom’s office informed of developments relating to the coalition’s formal petition to the United Nations human rights system, while expecting government to meet its constitutional obligations.
“We expect [Bloom’s] office to deliver on its constitutional obligations without delay,” he said.
Bloom confirmed he was in talks with Molefe and he has instructed his office to contact Ntuli, who has not replied to questions, to intervene.
