Sewage spilling in resident’s yard – pensioner told to fix it himself

Pensioner Michael Botha together with his family have been living in unbearable conditions for more than a year due to the sewage spilling all over his yard.

This came as a result of the municipality’s alleged failure to replace the sewerage pipes on his property – despite numerous complaints.

The sewage spillage is caused by a blocked pipe in the yard, which seemingly is also damaged.

Speaking to the Herald, Botha said his cries had been falling on deaf ears.

I’ve laid numerous complaints at the municipality regarding this problem and nothing constructive seems to be happening.

“They only sent someone to have a look at the damage and all they did was unblock the pipe. That’s just not good enough. We want to have it fixed, once and for all,” said Botha who added that the municipality allegedly instructed him to get a private plumber to fix the problem.

Botha, who has been living on the property for more than 40 years added that his children and two grandchildren who are below the age of two were facing a health hazard owing to the stench.

This is really making our living conditions unbearable. We can’t even open our windows to get some fresh air because of this stench,” said Botha who added that he had to make a plan and cover the damaged pipe to prevent his children and grandchildren from accidentally falling into the stinking mess.

The Herald contacted the RWCLM communication unit and is awaiting comment.