Africa-Press – South-Africa. Residents of the Emfuleni Local Municipality continue to live in squalor and deteriorating conditions, despite almost R700 million being spent on overtime pay for its cleaning and environment units.
The amount was revealed in the Gauteng Legislature as a response to questions submitted by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Residents have been complaining about poor service delivery, with sewage backing up into roads and flooding some homes.
The municipality has spent R694 million on overtime pay, particularly for cleaning and environment services, but the streets of Debonair Park do not reflect this.
From sewage flooding into homes to roads that are barely usable, residents have been left stunned by the money being spent, given the poor services they’ve grown tired of complaining about.
But the true impact of Emfuleni’s service delivery failures is best reflected in the lived reality of one family, whose home is engulfed by the pungent smell of running sewage.
What was once a gate welcoming visitors and vehicles into the yard now stands in disrepair, blocked by thick and foul-smelling wastewater.
For the past 10 years, this has been a painful reality for 77-year-old Mabel Tshoki.
“I’ve lost all hope in the sewage issue ever getting fixed. Only God knows what the future holds. The ANC [African National Congress] government in Emfuleni simply doesn’t care about me. I bought this house because I loved the area, but look now.”
As she watches her grandchildren happily run around the yard, she said her home has become a health hazard.
“I fear my grandchildren will fall sick. It’s even worse at night because once we close the windows, the smell is trapped in the house. We can’t even sleep peacefully.”
And just outside her home is the busy Rose Road, which separates the Emfuleni and Midvaal local municipalities.
Much like Tshoki’s property, the road has also been affected by years of neglect, with broken sewage pipes that have not been maintained in over a decade.
Motorist Thabo Mohale said calling the holes in the road potholes would be an understatement.
“I’m in and out of the doctor’s office because of diarrhoea and sicknesses associated with the sewer. We breathe this every day. Think about the maggots and our health as well.”
But deeper into Emfuleni, another community is battling a severe sewage infestation.
In Tshepong, an elderly woman was forced to shut down her daycare centre after knee-high sewage entered her home.
The Mpelegele Daycare Centre, which was once filled with the joyful sounds of children playing, now stands empty and stripped of colour.
The bright paint on the swings is beginning to peel away, with patches of rust now impossible to miss.
“The stench was horrible; it was so unbearable. We could not continue asking parents to bring their children here every day while there’s sewage all over the place.”
All these affected residents have questioned why the R700 million spent on overtime has not been translated into visible change on the ground.
Meanwhile, the municipality said it simply does not have the resources to address the sewage crisis as quickly as it would like.
Furthermore, the municipality has denied claims that it has neglected several communities that are plagued by a dire sewage spillage crisis.
Emfuleni spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni said while progress is slow, they are working to address the issue.
“We are under what we call Section 63. This is in line with the Water Act. The president revoked that so that we can resolve the sewer spillages across the municipality, even in and around the Vaal River.”
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