Sh*t at the muni Rates Hall: Makobane couple speak out
They filled two 20 litres of sewage from their yard and took it to the Civic Centre where they spilled it in the Rates Hall
POLOKWANE – A Polokwane couple had enough of a never-ending stream of complaints to the municipality about a municipal sewerage line in their yard overflowing time and again.
Ten years of frustration boiled over and they decided that another method should be followed to make their frustrations known. They had a major clean-up session on 27 January and before that, almost every month due to the spillage of sewage in their yard.
“The municipal stakeholders knew our story and we knew everyone by name dealing with sanitation issues. They identified the cause of the problem, which they said may be tree roots interfering with the free flow of sewage in the line a very long time ago, but nothing was done to root out the problem,” Review was told.
Two weeks and a day after the last spill, it happened again and the couple decided that enough was enough. Harry Makobane, a quiet and patient man according to his wife, decided that the municipality should also experience what they have been going through for years on end.
Read more: [WATCH] Fed-up residents: Sh*t hits the muni Rates Hall in Polokwane
They filled two 20 litre buckets of sewage from their yard and took it to the Civic Centre, where they spilled it in the Rates Hall.
Security personnel followed them to their car and spoke to them before they left for their home. When they arrived at their house, a honey sucker truck was busy sucking up the sewage and municipal workers were spraying the cement with thick streams of water to clean up the mess.
A municipal official was on the scene just a few moments later.
Early the next morning, the couple went to the offices of the public protector and, armed with dated photos since early 2016, explained their actions and what drove them to do what they have done.
Municipal officials visited the site to inspect to find possible solutions on how they can resolve this issue.
To find out what happened next and how the story ends, as well as for the municipality’s comment, read next week’s Review.
