Sewage spills in Standerton cause an environmental disaster
The house's foundations have been damaged and the rotten fence had to be replaced at a cost of R25 000.
Raw sewage flows day and night into the Vaal River from a property in Meyerville. The Standerton Advertiser, accompanied by Alberto Franco, DA councillor, investigated on April 23 and spotted the soiled water near the river banks.
The house’s foundations have been damaged and the rotten fence had to be replaced at a cost of R25 000.
Lekwa Municipality installed a new sewerage pipeline in the second week of last December. The track marks of the vehicle are still on the soggy grass.
This pipeline is, however, not connected to the current pipeline. Franco did not mince his words.
“There is no municipal oversight,” Franco said.
The sewerage line in Kerk Street in mid-town has also been upgraded to the relief of the residents. A sewerage pipe there was also not connected to the new pipeline, as seen on April 23, with raw sewage flowing unabated from the drain.
“It is a health risk as the sewage flows towards the stormwater drains on its way to the Vaal River,” Nalda Williams said.
“We all were hopeful that the system will be working. This is unacceptable.”
The newspaper published an article in October 2022 about the municipality dumping sewage in the water network at the back of the Junxion Centre in town.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, better known as CoGTA, also arrived in Standerton in October to see firsthand how the municipality was doing.
River pollution got the attention of open-water swimmers as well. They swam to raise awareness of the river’s contamination in March 2021 to help seek solutions.
The Advertiser then contacted Thando Nkosi, communications officer at Lekwa, requesting comment on the dumping of sewage. Nkosi replied timeously and admitted the wrongdoing.
“They were discharging sewage into storm water drains. We discussed the matter with the drivers,” she said.
Standerton Advertiser also visited a defunct pump station at TLC in November 2021, where raw sewage flowed into the river.
A community worker, Pheello Mlotshwa, drew attention to it and accompanied the newspaper to the site.
According to Mlotshwa, trucks dumped sewage daily at the station while the pumps were not running.
The sewage reaches a manhole from where it is pushed up towards the nearby houses. The contractor at that stage did not officially hand over the project.
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Mlotshwa then said they were doing renovations at the pump station. Standerton River Park also took some hammering in the past with the regular dumping of rubbish.
Wilma Venter, councillor of the Freedom Front Plus for Ward 10, then said they would hold the municipality accountable to clean the area around the Standerton River Park, as well as to put an end to the large-scale pollution because of the dumping of garbage in the river and river park.
“We also ask the community to stop illegal dumping at the park and to help keep the environment clean,” Venter added.
Leon Enslin, branch chairperson of AfriForum in Standerton, said fingers should not only be pointed at Lekwa, as the community themselves are also polluting the environment and river.
Enslin gave examples such as pouring oil down a drain and dumping rubbish on the ground that poisons the surface.
