LOUIS TRICHARDT – On July 7 Afriforum chairperson Wally Schultz and two Afriforum interns, Wilhelm Reichert and Ju-Marie Pretorius, investigated the reports of sewage in town.
According to Schultz, the smell of the sewage that is flowing from a drain to the dam in Louis Trichardt is awful. “This is a health risk and highly dangerous,” Schultz said. Schultz along with Morné Mostert, provincial coordinator for Afriforum, Reichert and Pretorius did water tests and brought with them some heavy duty chemicals to treat the sewage dams that have sprung up around town. “It is criminal how our Vhembe District Municipality has allowed this beautiful town to drown in raw human waste,” Schultz explained.
According to Schultz he has reported the problem to the municipality. “They had to know about the problems as we found rods that they used to clear the blockages. More blatant negligence. They have clearly started the job and then simply abandoned it. Leaving metres of these expensive rods and extensions sticking out of the manholes,” he added.
After many tests, Schultz and his team found the source of the sewage spill that has made life for residents unbearable. “The stench will hopefully disappear and the problem will not return again,” said Schultz.
Despite several attempts to contact the Vhembe District Municipality spokesperson, Matodzi Ralushai, no comment was received by the time of going to print.
Schultz thanked Reichert, Mostert and Pretorius for their help and said that he loves to see youngsters so eager to help the communities.
