LIMPOPO – For three weeks now, a family from Vleifontein has been living with a stench caused by a persistent sewage spillage in the township, which flows directly into their yard and into their home.
The owner of the house, Ellen Matshavha, said the issue is with the sewer system that runs around their homestead and has become more than just a challenge.
“The problem started around three weeks ago. We have engaged the municipality a number of times. Every time officials would come and do repairs, and leave, but the following day it would be the same thing all over again.”
Matshavha explained that the situation has become so bad, that they have to wear water boots when they enter their homes.
She says the damage it caused to her property is preposterous.
“We live in a sea of sewage, and everything is covered with it. We don’t sleep well at night because the smell is unbearable. This is placing our health at risk. We cannot walk three steps outside without stepping into a stinking pool of faeces. And this is all because of the municipality’s laxity.”
You might also want to read: Boy (8) drowns in sewage dam near Lephalale
An EFF councillor in the Makhado Municipality, Wiseman Ramalwa agreed that the sewage poses a serious problem.
“I saw it with my own eyes. Those people literally live with faecal matter inside their houses. This sewer system was erected in 1978. Many other houses around Vleifontein have also been effected by the blocked sewage. We as the EFF are totally against the delay in fixing it,” he said.
Contacted for comment, Vhembe District Municipality spokesperson Matodzi Ralushai could not provide comment at the time of going to print.
