Residents in eMbalenhle’s Ward 19 receive RDP houses without services
Toilets and sewer pipes were installed in these houses without being connected to a main sewer line.
The beneficiaries of RDP houses in Ward 19 in Ext 25, eMbalenhle, demand answers from the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM).
They get charged for services despite having no water or sewer infrastructure in their RDP houses. When Ridge Times visited the area, we found that toilets and sewer pipes were installed in these houses without being connected to a sewer line.
The main sewer line does not exist. The residents installed drainage pipes which carry the sewage from their toilets to an open field at the back of their yards. It is the only way their toilets will work. They also had to install their own connections to the water and electricity supply.
These residents said they were allocated their RDP houses in 2016 and believed the municipality would return to rectify the problem and supply the essential infrastructure needed in a house. Disgruntled resident Betty Malinga claims the municipality bills them for no services.
“The contractor installed water meters and sewer pipes, then left. The pipes were not connected, and we were left without services.”
Malinga said municipal officials told the residents to buy their own electricity cables, which they would install and connect for the residents.
“This is the only reason we have electricity.”
Malinga said she and her neighbours are not treated equally to other residents.
“We are billed for services not rendered. The municipality suppressed our constitutional rights to access clean water and live in a healthy environment.
“The environment we live in is unhealthy because of the stench coming from those sewer drains we dug ourselves to be able to use the toilets,” said Malinga.
Executive Mayor Nhlakanipho Zuma said these RDP houses were not part of the municipality’s RDP housing plan.
However, because they had already been built, the municipality is responsible for ensuring sufficient infrastructure.
“We are going to electrify these houses and install a water and sewer network for those residents before the end of this year to correct what is wrong,” said Zuma.
