The severe deterioration of municipal infrastructure in the vicinity of the Thabong Indoor Sports Centre has led to stormwater drains being repurposed as channels for sewage. This poses a grave threat to the public’s health.
The once-thriving business hub along Constantia Road in Thabong has suffered a devastating decline, resulting in the closing of businesses and an atmosphere that resembles that of a ghost town.
The ongoing and excessive sewage spillages in the road, combined with the deteriorating tar surfaces, have transformed this roadway into a hazardous stretch for motorists.
Luttiga Presente, DA councillor of the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, says that, shockingly, raw sewage is now openly flowing next to residential areas where children often play.
“The sewage is also flowing along public roads used by residents for transportation. The stormwater channels, overrun with reeds, have also become havens for criminal activity,” she says
Presente says this increasingly dire situation has created an enormous health hazard, endangering the well-being of children who unknowingly play in contaminated environments.
An oversight visit from government was held in the area.
Presente says this only serves to highlight the complete absence of a plan or genuine commitment from the ANC-led Matjhabeng government to uplift Thabong and its neighbouring communities.
“It is evident that their disregard for the Batho Pele principles, which are meant to ensure residents receive the services they deserve, is hindering progress and perpetuating a cycle of neglect. We will table solutions to this crisis to council,” she says.
