Residents suffer as sewage swamps Swaneville

Despite a few visible improvements, some residents of Swaneville in Mogale City are still living in sewage.

It has been a year since The Citizen reported on a hazardous sewage leak which saw many residents trapped on sinking land.

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Some residents expressed frustration that the sewage pumping station is still not fixed. Swaneville resident Goodman Ngobeni said the sewage station has not been functioning for almost two years.

“The worst part is this sewage is close to our houses,” said Ngobeni. “How do you live, eat around sewage?” he said.

“It smells very bad and it’s coming into our houses. There’s a lot of mosquitoes as well. It is not safe living here and we are constantly getting sick.

“They keep saying they will fix it but that is not happening. We are literally living in sh*t.”

Ngobeni claimed that Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and provincial government officials had come to visit them and promised to move them to other areas.

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“They have relocated others but we are still waiting. Living here is unbearable. “We are still here because there is nowhere we can go,” he said.

Rebecca Gaanabo is another resident of Swaneville affected by the sewage leak. Gaanabo said this made her life and her children’s lives difficult.

“As a mother, I am not happy about our living conditions here. “I worry a lot about my kids’ health. “They are always sick and we never know what is really wrong with them,” she said.

Gaanabo said she cannot bear the sewage smell which permeates her house. She explained how she no longer used her bathroom tub because the drain was affected by the sewage spillage.

“I no longer use my bath tub because of the unbearable smells that come out of the drain because of the sewage.

“I had to use masking tape to cover my kitchen door to preventing the smell from getting in. “I can’t even cook and enjoy my meal,” she said.

“I do not want to lie. Things are bad. “It is not nice living here. “We have complained and they promised to do something about this. But we are still waiting for that.”

Gaanabo added that they lived in fear of what would happen when there is heavy rain. Swaneville ward 35 councillor David Witbooi said he was aware of the sewage leak and the nonfunctional pumping station.

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Witbooi said construction work was in progress. “There is a contractor on site who is busy with the sewage substation.

“Work has been done there,” he said. “The construction will continue from tomorrow.”

Although there have been improvements regarding sinking houses, asked what his plans were for residents who still had not been relocated, Witbooi said all those who were “critically affected” were moved. “Those who are left are not that much affected.

“Once the pumping station starts working, then there will be no problem,” he said. “Those left will remain until maybe we will have another serious rain and they will become affected.

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“But for now, we have done what we can with those who were affected.” But another resident, Alias Fisher, said he did not understand why this situation continued and that it was clear no-one cared about providing proper service delivery.

“It is not nice living in such conditions. We have kids here but we are living in sewage and no-one cares,” he said. “We are asking for this to be resolved.”