POLOKWANE – The desperate residents of Greenside Ext 44 (ward 8), outside Polokwane, said their concerns have been reported to the municipality but no attempt has been made so far.
Now the poor residents have no choice but to go on living in these conditions.
When CV visited the families on Sunday, there was water everywhere in their yards and inside their RDP houses.
According to one of the residents, Thelma Poopedi, the problem began two months ago. At first, they noticed their inside walls had become damp and after the heavy rain, their homes were flooded with water coming from the floor.
She said because of the wet floor in her house she is exposed to catching different diseases including flu.
“I was forced to take some of my furniture to my relative’s house as they could be damaged in this house,” she said.
She further said they spend all night trying to get the water out of their houses when it rains.
“We reported the matter to our ward councillor but it seems she does not care about us as she never attended to the matter,” she said.
Another resident, Fungai Tafirenyika (45), said his kitchen unit has been destroyed by the wetland.
“Sometimes I’m forced to take some of my furniture outside to dry,” said Tafirenyika.
“We feel like aquatic animals because of this water, which also poses a danger to our children who may slip and drown by mistake,” he told CV.
When asked for comment, Polokwane Municipality communications and marketing officer, Desree Manyane, said the matter has been noted and that residents should continue reporting such matters to the municipality.
“The municipality will send out its technicians to go and investigate further and see whether it’s a wetland or faulty underground pipe connections,” said Manyane.
