A 75-year-old resident of Extension 7 in Ikageng can’t take the smell of the sewage in his yard anymore. After more than seven years, Jappie Jacob Moeng struggles with the sewage problem daily.

“I am only a pensioner and cannot hire people to come and fix the sewerage for me; I spend all my grant money to pay back loan sharks,” he said.

Oupa Moeng says almost every month he needs to borrow money from cash loans to visit different doctors for medical assistance.

The smell of the sewage has affected his health; he struggles with breathing and suffers from diarrhoea. Moeng says he cannot even drink water from his house tap as it’s also dirty from the blockage of the drains. “I feel the municipality is not taking this issue seriously.

They came sometime last year and could not get the problem solved. They promised to come back with a better solution but never pitched again,” emphasised Jacob.

“I can’t take the smell anymore. Most of the time, the sewage comes through the toilet and bath and the whole house is in a dam of sewage. At my age, I have to sleep with that smell.”

When the Herald asked the municipality for comment, the municipal spokesperson, William Maphosa, said the municipality would investigate the issue.