A major sewage leak in Khutsong Extension 3 is becoming a growing health hazard for people in the area. The Herald reported in its edition of 14 January this year that residents staying around house No. 6272 have had a tough time dealing with massive volumes of sewage leaking from a manhole in the street next to their houses. While the leak was a serious problem when the newspaper’s journalist visited the site on 11 January, it has since developed into an even bigger health risk, having been left unattended until the past week. “The municipality has not come out, even though we have complained to them many times,” lamented one of the residents, Mr Jennis Khango. By last Friday, the large volumes of sewage had flooded the street in front of Khango’s and other houses from one side to the other. Those residents who wanted to get to their houses either had to jump over the

fences of neighbours or tip-toe over a tiny strip of dry land on the side of the street. In places, this access was less than 10 cm wide. As if this was not bad enough, hundreds, if not thousands, of breeding mosquitoes were hovering above, or floating on, the seething mass. “It is so bad we cannot sleep at night. The smell is terrible and the mosquitoes bite you all the time. When it rains, the sewage also floods our yards, ”Khango told the Herald, showing how his torso was covered in mosquito bites. His neighbour, 65-year-old Ms Maria Ranke, also complained vehemently. “It stinks terribly and we cannot sleep. It has been leaking since September last year but the municipality has not yet fixed the problem,” she complained. She also showed the Herald how people staying in the area have had to keep the doors of their outside toilets shut. In addition to the fact that the toilets don’t flush anymore, the mosquitoes have started breeding in the stagnant water in the pans. The situation is so bad that no one can use the toilets without being severely bitten. Ranke also pointed out where she had thrown loose sand to cover sewage that had previously leaked into her yard. Several other people in the area echoed the issues raised by Khango and Ranke. “This is becoming a huge health risk and we do not know why the municipality doesn’t help us or send skilled people to solve such problems. Some of the places where sewage has leaked in the past are starting to leak again. We, in

Extension 3, feel as if we are being left behind by the municipality,” a community leader from the area, Mr Chuckhu Kerileng added. The Herald questioned the Merafong City Local Municipality about the spiralling problems on Tuesday. “The sewage spill was caused by a sinkhole that has affected the bulk sewer line. However, the municipality ensures that the sewer is cleared weekly by means of a vacuum tanker. The sinkhole investigation is in progress and, once it has been completed, the rehabilitation process will proceed. Only then, can the line be recommissioned,” a municipal spokesperson said in response.