WATCH | Emfuleni residents sick of stench of raw sewage

Residents of a ward in the Emfuleni local municipality, which is the constituency and home of mayor Sipho Radebe, are sickened by an overflowing sewer that has been an unwelcome part of their daily life for years.

One resident broke down in tears while relaying her experience in Tshepong township, where the air hangs heavy with a foul smell that residents say is unbearable.

When a Sowetan team visited the area, sewage was flowing in the street. Not far from it is a soccer field that has been turned into a dumping site.

Residents said a daycare centre in the area has been forced to shut down due to the constant stench.

Radebe, who drives over the leaking sewage daily, described the situation as “bad”.

However, he said, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) aimed at fixing water and sanitation in the municipality would be prioritising most of the affected areas.

The SPV was launched by the water and sanitation department in partnership with Rand Water and is expected to take full control in July.

It is meant to address years of dry taps, leaking pipes, and raw sewage flowing through the streets and into people’s homes.

Radebe said the problem was worsened by residents building their homes on top of sewerage pipes.

“For now, we will rely on pressure [vehicles] to unblock the sewer — this will be continuous work until collapsed pipes are changed,” he said.

Regarding waste removal, Radebe said the municipality had bought seven trucks in the past two weeks and was acquiring more.

Sizakele Masondo, 53, who has lived in Tshepong since 2005, said the situation has only worsened over time.

“I have been living with this since I moved here,” she said, breaking down in tears. “I keep calling plumbers, but no one helps. I use my grant money to buy pipes and try to fix it myself,” she said as she wept.

Masondo, who is unemployed, said she survives on a R370 grant, while her son also receives the grant.

“It [the sewer] makes us sick. I am always going to the clinic because I would be coughing, and my child has problems with her eyes,” she said.

“Some people laugh at me when I clean the sewage. What if this [house] wall collapses because of the constant waste?”

Nearby, a mobile health post that services chronic patients, deals with family planning needs and provides vitamins to children, operates next to a dumping site, with the smell affecting both patients and staff.

Healthcare workers visit the patients at their homes and only go to the clinic once a week.

“It is a hazard. A clinic cannot operate next to such a dump,” said a healthcare worker.

Resident Asante Suns said her family has been living with sewage flowing like a river in front of their home since 2021.

They are now worried that their wall might collapse because the sewage keeps seeping through. “We inhale the smell all the time. This is not healthy,” she said.

Another resident said she had to use her own money to redirect sewage away from her home and into the street. “I am tired. It has been years living like this. It is just not healthy,” she said.

Petrus Majola, 65, said while municipal workers occasionally come to assist, the problem never goes away.

“It has been years of this. It is even worse because our own mayor lives in this area. We thought things would improve, but they haven’t,” he said.

As a result, Keitumetse Maloka said residents have been forced to take matters into their own hands. “The sewer gives us so many challenges. Our children play near it, and people get sick.

“The municipality always says it is working on it, but nothing changes. We even bought pipes ourselves to try redirecting it,” the 26-year-old woman said.

DA MPL Kingsol Chabalala said what makes the situation even more concerning is the fact that Radebe is the councillor of the area.

“If the mayor is neglecting service delivery in his own ward, it raises serious concerns about the state of governance across the entire Emfuleni municipality.

“It is unacceptable that, despite millions being spent on service providers, communities are still forced to live in conditions that threaten their health and violate their constitutional rights,” he said.

Sowetan