POLOKWANE – Madimetja Mokobedi from Emdo Park says he is an angry man after the Polokwane Municipality failed to fix a burst sewage pipe in his yard.
According to Mokobedi, the pipe burst in 2008 and flooded his yard, causing a stench.
“When the pipe burst, I thought it was a minor problem and called a plumber to fix it.
“After the plumber fixed the pipe, it kept bursting. The stench affected my sinuses and my daughter’s as well and my children found used condoms and sanitary towels in the yard,” said Mokobedi.
He said as a result, his neighbours thinks he is irresponsible.
“The neighbours complain about the sewage and think it’s my fault that the pipe keeps bursting. The whole community is affected by this.
“I have to stop children from playing in the water as they will get sick,” he said.
Mokobedi explained that the sewerage’s main line ran though his yard and it cost him R3 864 to erect a new sewerage line.
“The municipality said it is not their duty to fix it. All I want is to be reimbursed for all the costs I have incurred because the bust pipe was not my fault. My neighbour’s sewerage line also runs through my yard and I cannot build anything in my backyard because of that,” he said. Polokwane Municipality spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene, said the municipality attended to the matter and found that a shack was built on the main sewerage line. “We asked the homeowner to remove the shack so that we can investigate the problem.
“Our investigations found that there was a broken pipe, which we repaired. We also constructed a new manhole. We cannot reimburse him for work done outside the municipality’s responsibility and therefore he needs to pay the plumber himself. That area is situated 2m from the boundary and is a municipal servitude. He is not allowed to construct a structure there.”
Chuene urged residents to report any water and sanitation issues to (015) 290 2376, (015) 290 2457 or (015) 290 2458.
