Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Estelle Dansey and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has formally escalated the ongoing sewerage crisis in Ward 35 to the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), to ensure urgent intervention and hold Matjhabeng Local Municipality accountable.
Despite the reported purchase of two large sewer vacuum trucks, service delivery in Ward 35 has not improved, leaving residents exposed to daily sewerage spills and a negligible municipal response.
Residents continue to report numerous sewer spills daily, with little to no response from the municipality.
When residents or ward representatives reach municipal officials, they are often told that no jetting equipment is available or that a team will be dispatched. In most cases, these commitments are not honoured.
Alarmingly, several sewage spills at Western Holdings have been repeatedly reported for more than six months, yet no municipal team has been dispatched to assess or resolve the situation.
The conditions under which residents are currently living are unacceptable and dangerous. Children are walking through raw sewage on their way to school, and in some areas, sewage flows openly through streets where children are playing.
In Odendaalsrus, some residents are unable to access their driveways due to sewer blockages, and homes have been flooded with raw sewage. As a direct result, children have begun falling ill, highlighting the serious public health risks posed by this ongoing crisis.
We demand urgent and immediate intervention to address the escalating sewerage failures in Ward 35. Residents cannot be expected to continue living in these hazardous and inhumane conditions while municipal resources go unused and accountability remains absent.
Access to safe and dignified living conditions is a constitutional right, and the residents of Ward 35 deserve nothing less.