EFF slams Emfuleni over sewage contamination
The opposition party has accused the local municipality of endangering the health and well-being of the Vaal Community.
EMFULENI. – The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng has condemned the Emfuleni Local Municipality for its failure to provide clean, safe water residents, which is a basic human right.
This comes after Residents of Sebokeng Zone 7, Palm Springs, Beverley Hills, Lakeside and Evaton have been subjected to water contaminated by sewage following a collapsed sewer pipeline.
The EFF’s provincial chairperson in Gauteng, Commissar Nkuleleko Dunga, said in a statement that this negligence endangers the health and well-being of the Vaal community, exposing them to potential illness and death.
The municipality has since told residents to boil water before use, while they continue conducting tests to determine if and when the water is safe for use.
“Regrettably, the Emfuleni Local Municipality has become synonymous with substandard water and sewer systems, a situation exacerbated by the persistent neglect of infrastructure, and the corruption and incompetence prevalent within the ANC-led government.”
“The ANC’s disregard of untreated wastewater into the Vaal River, posing a severe risk to human and animal health, as well as to the environment,” Dunga said in a statement released earlier this week.
According to Dunga, the water and sewage challenges in Emfuleni has reached a critical point, potentially violating human rights, prompting the necessity for intervention.
“Despite these measures, the ANC has spectacularly failed to address the water and sewerage infrastructure issues in Emfuleni. Adding insut to injury, Rand Water has identified the municipality as the most delinquent in terms of settling its bulk water purchase bills,” Dunga said.
“Recently, the municipality has also become embroiled in a corruption scandal involving inflated legal fees, with ANC officials exploiting the Emfuleni Local Municipality for their own gain, to the detriment of people, wildlife and the environment,” Dunga said.
“The people of the Vaal have endured humiliation and indignity at the hands of this former liberation movement,” the EFF said.
