eMbalenhle residents furious as sewage spills into homes
Municipal spokesman said a senior technician from the municipality is attending to the problem.
Residents of the Crossroads section in eMbalenhle are furious as sewage is now flooding their homes. According to them, they have tried numerous times to get the Govan Mbeki Municipality to fix the problem.
According to affected residents, municipal officials who responded to complaints inspected the situation but allegedly told them they would have to buy pipes and rods themselves if they wanted the sewage issue resolved.
Community members say the sewage has already begun damaging their belongings and creating serious health risks for their families. Comfort Tsele, one of the affected residents, said the situation has become unbearable and is putting lives, especially children’s, at risk.
“We are sick and tired of this municipality. Every time we report service delivery challenges, we are told stories,” said Tsele. He added that residents feel trapped because they are warned not to interfere with municipal infrastructure, yet are now being asked to purchase materials to repair it.
“If we take it into our own hands and fix it, they will say we are interfering with their infrastructure, but now they want us to buy pipes and rods. This is the municipality’s responsibility.
“We did not install the sewer infrastructure, but now they are trying to make it our fault. Those damaged pipes were wrongly installed by the municipality, but now they want to shift the blame as if it is the community’s fault,” said Tsele.
Residents said the continued sewage spill is not only damaging property but also posing a serious health hazard due to exposure to waste inside their homes.
Govan Mbeki Municipality media liaison and content developer, Donald Green, said the municipality is aware of the issue. A senior technician from the municipality is currently attending to the problem, and officials are awaiting a report to determine the cause of the sewage spill.
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