Sewage spillage endangers health of residents in Tlokwe

Residents in Seroka Street in Ext. 11 have been battling with that revolting situation for two weeks now. This has disgusted the DA which is considering laying criminal charges against the Tlokwe municipality. The party says this is a violation of the Constitution that states that we all have a right to a healthy environment.

According to the DA caucus leader, Hans-Jurie Moolman, the spillage poses a direct threat to the health of residents who are at risk of contracting diseases; some of the sewage has spilt over into people’s yards.

“It is unthinkable that a situation like this is allowed to happen in a residential area,” he said.

He believes there is a lack of urgency from the municipality in fixing the sewage spill in that area.

“It has been more than two weeks since the sewage started leaking and nothing has been done to fix the situation. Seroka Street is completely closed off and cars and pedestrians cannot move in or out of the street,” he said.

The municipality appears to be unconcerned about the health disaster in the area because Moolman says the DA wrote a letter requesting urgent repairs and intervention on 29 August 2016 – with no success.

“Residents have reported this matter to the Tlokwe municipal offices on various occasions, but the team of municipal workers came in, looked at the spillage and left without repairing the leak,” he said.

“We again call on the Tlokwe Local Municipality to send in a team to clean it up before the people get sick. It is clear that the ANC is no longer in election mode and is again failing the people of Tlokwe – as they have done for the past 22 years,” he said.

The council spokesperson, Willie Maphosa, says the complaint has been logged and is in the system.

He explained that, while the sewage was flowing from a manhole in Seroka Street the blockage was, in fact, further down the line near the Sarafina entrance, parallel to the N12.

“It has taken the municipality more than a week to unblock the sewerage line because of the stones, grit and unwanted objects in there,” he said. “We have appointed an additional contractor to assist the municipal plumbers in rectifying the blockage as a matter of urgency. The section of the sewer line that has been cleared is approximately 500 metres in length,” he said.

Maphosa appeals to community members to report any vandalism on and around municipal infrastructure as such acts cause unnecessary but serious problems.