Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Greg van Noord and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the City Manager of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Mr Sello More, calling for immediate intervention in the latest sewage crisis that has affected large parts of the city.
The DA is demanding that all outstanding payments to contractors be processed without delay, that the municipality provide adequate vehicles and resources to restore sewerage services, reinstate after-hours response teams, and hold the responsible Heads of Department and General Managers accountable for their failure to meet service delivery and Service Level Agreement (SLA) obligations.
For more than a week, residents of Mangaung have endured worsening conditions as blocked sewerage systems continue to overflow into streets, properties, and public spaces. What should be a basic municipal function has collapsed under the weight of poor management, neglected maintenance, and alleged financial mismanagement.
Untreated sewage poses a severe health risk, exposing residents to waterborne diseases, respiratory issues, and skin infections. In many suburbs, raw sewage flows past homes, schools, and businesses for days without any municipal response. The Service Level Agreement prescribes a 48-hour turnaround time for sewer-related call-outs, yet reports from across Mangaung show that some residents have waited five days or more for assistance.
The DA has learned that only four municipal trucks are currently available to service the entire Metro, and that all after-hours response teams have been suspended. Poor financial planning and mismanagement have once again crippled an essential service, leaving residents to suffer the consequences.
The DA calls for urgent action from the municipality to repair and rebuild problematic sewer lines that have repeatedly failed over the years. Residents deserve clean, safe, and dignified living conditions — not to be abandoned in a city overwhelmed by sewage.