Diarrhoea crisis looms in Mashishing
With raw sewage flowing in the streets, the residents are concerned about their health in Mashishing.
“I have reported this problem to the municipality so many times. But when I open my taps, the water smells like toilet water,” said Roger Sibande.
He visited Steelburger/Lydenburg News on Wednesday May 11. He said his home in Extension 108 is one of the many RPD houses sometimes flooded with sewage water.
The water is not only from the taps, but is lying dormant in the streets. Because there are no stormwater drains, his garden is constantly flooded by the water. Sibande also said he has permanent stomach flu or diarrhoea, and that the area constantly reeks of sewage.
“It gets worse when it rains, because we have to walk through the sewage water. It has been two months that we have had to live like this. If you don’t have the stomach flu, you want to vomit because of the stench in the air,” said Sibande.
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Another resident, Jordan Makofane of Extension 8, and his neighbours have decided to fix the stormwater drains themselves. The water overflows into their yards and contributed to the sewage problems.
“This is unacceptable and very frustrating. We as the Mashishing Civic Coalition have also been to the Human Rights Commission in Mbombela and opened cases against the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM). We testified that the conditions under which the residents are living are inhumane. The toilets often overflow and we are sure that many residents may have cholera. We know that cholera has not been diagnosed by a doctor, but so many people are complaining about the same symptoms.
“In 2018, E. coli and cholera in the Dorps and Spekboom rivers were higher than the prescribed levels in several areas. The sewage water finds its way downhill to both these rivers. This could be the reason behind the diarrhoea outbreak. But we will have the water tested and see why our residents are getting so sick,” said the coalition’s Pompies Ledwaba.
TCLM’s spokesperson Themba Sibiya said the municipality is aware of the problem and blamed it on equipment theft and vandalism.
“A transformer for the sewage pump was recently stolen, leaving the plant without electricity,” Sibiya said.
He said the challenge was compounded by the fact that water and sewage infrastructure in the area is not properly constructed and there are some houses that have been illegally built on top of the main sewer line.
“The amount of work that must be done in the area to fix the infrastructure requires a big project to be undertaken.”
Sibiya said a technical report had been completed and would be used to redesign and reconstruct the water sewage network in the area. However, he did not say when the work to fix the sewage pipes would start. TCLM is also currently involved in a court case regarding the contravention of the National Water Act 36 of 1988, pollution of the river in Section 4 and 5 of TCLM and that the pollution was not contained or rehabilitated.
In terms of the Constitution, everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being.
