For two and a half years, Wilson Mohlala had been trying to get the Ba Phalaborwa Municipality to come and fix the problematic manhole and the trench of sewage, but in vain.
It later emerged that the sewerage system falls under the Municipality.
Mohlala said he phoned the spokesperson for Ba Phalaborwa Municipality, Jonas Mahesu and the technical director at the Municipality since last year.
He said they promised that the sewage problem would be attended to, including the open trench which the Municipality had dug from the sewerage mainline to divert the seemingly uncontrollable overflow of sewage onto the open, bushy ground. But nothing has been done, the trench remains open.
Some of the residents said the problem has become a health hazard to their children. ‘We do not see a point of paying services if we do not get any services, I wish the Mopani District Municipality can intervene.
Maybe our municipality is waiting until a child dies in the trench,’ said a concerned resident.
The smell affects business and it is a hygiene risk. Phalaborwa Herald reporter witnessed the sewage flowing on the road and in several houses last Wednesday.
The strong and repugnant smell in the aera is a problem to the residents.
As a result of the trench of odorous sewage, residents can hardly eat any food in their own houses as green, dizzy flies come to rest on their plates of food.
Mohlala still maintains that the municipality must try to fix the sewer problem effectively, or else they must find them another place to stay.
‘Why must we live in faeces? What wrong did we do to deserve this kind of treatment from our own municipality?’ said Mohlala.
When contacted for comment, the spokesperson for the Ba Phalaborwa Municipality, Jonas Mehesu, said that the municipality is endeavouring with almost every possible effort to get the situation under control.
‘The technical people will start working on that line this week, its it will only take a week for the problem to be solved, they will put a two to three metres pipiline,’ said Mahesu.
