More than 20 houses in Western Holdings, Ext. 2 Rheederpark, including the home of a man in a wheelchair, have been engulfed by raw sewage.
The question being asked is where are the human rights of the residents of Matjhabeng who are daily faced with sewage problems, dirty water, and heaps of refuse around every corner?
The sewage problem is not unique to Rheederpark. Homes all across Matjhabeng are being flooded with raw sewage.
The Riebeeckstad Primary School has issued a warning to parents that the school might have to be closed to protect the safety and health of the learners.
Vista reported a month ago about the high schools in Welkom that are being threatened by sewage. The Goudveld-Hoërskool was forced to close its doors at the beginning of the year, which had a dire effect on learners and exams.
Cllr Igor Scheurkogel, sole champion for the residents in Ext. 2, says the municipality does not have the capacity to help residents resolve sewage or water issues.
One of the sewage blockages is close to the Western Holdings Primary School.
“This is totally unacceptable and residents have told me, and this is the narrative on the ground, that officials are deliberately sabotaging ward 35 and their residents.
“Just like Reahola Housing that is struggling with water, this is also a human rights infringement and if not acted upon, I will have no other way than to lay another complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC),” he says.
According to Scheurkogel, there is only one bakkie and one team available to attend to issues that residents are facing. The residents of Ext. 2 wait, on average, three weeks to two years for Matjhabeng to attend to their sewage crises.
He has even supplied the municipality with pin locations, house numbers, street addresses, and telephone numbers of residents – and yet there is no response. Some residents have been forced to vacate their homes because of sewage flooding.
Scheurkogel says the problem lies with the sewerage lines that have not been cleaned and maintained by Matjhabeng.
“The pump stations, as of 7 May, are empty. They are pumped once they are filled up, therefore the municipality is solely responsible for putting people’s lives at risk. I have contracted private companies and residents to assist and investigate because Matjhabeng just does not care about the well-being of the residents.
“They rather spend money on imbizos, buying cars for senior politicians, or abuse public funds. This, rather than ensuring we have water in our taps, our houses are free of sewage, are safe at night because street lights are working, potholes are fixed so that we can safely move around, and that public spaces are cleaned to lower the crime rate.”
Scheurkogel says he would like to invite the executive mayor to spend a night in Western Holdings, Ext. 2, in house numbers 717 or 1235.
“Then he can tell me about the progress in Matjhabeng.”
