The Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) deputy minister (DM), Sello Seitlholo, conducted an oversight visit in Meloding following the drowning of a 14-year-old boy.
Pule Semenyane drowned in a quarry of water filled with sewage on Sunday, 24 November. This tragic incident follows the drowning of two other youngsters, Loyiso Mkhekwa (11) and Rapelang Sejentu (10), two weeks prior.
Seitlholo, an anti-polution champion, and Dr Tseliso Ntili, provincial head of the DWS, met with Cllr Hlobohang Mokhomo, acting mayor of Matjhabeng, and Luvuyo Ntoyi, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Vaal Central Water (VCW) authority, to get a full briefing of the circumstances that led to the incidents.
Delegates of the VCW and officials of the Matjhabeng municipality made presentations to the DM during the meeting.
The VCW is the implementing agent appointed by the DWS for the ministerial intervention which include 78 sewage and water projects in the Free State.
“I am disappointed to learn that only 12 out of the 27 megalitres of sewage makes its way to the wastewater treatment works. This translates to raw sewage seeping onto and flooding the streets and creating ponds in the communities, while other raw sewage flows into rivers and pollute them. This is unacceptable,” said Seitlholo.
He added that he was aware of the financial state of the Matjhabeng Municipality and the debt of R7 billion owed to the VCW.
Ntili said that Matjhabeng, together with the VCW, has to do an audit of the entire system and infrastructure projects so that risks can be identified immediately, and a targeted approach can be undertaken to fix the leaks.
“However, this does not mean Matjhabeng cannot come up with short and medium-term plans to avert sewage spillages. We have to, first and foremost, think about the communities we serve and their well-being and prevent future incidents where our children drown in sewage. No parent deserves to bury a child,” said Seitlholo.
The last stop on the oversite visit was to the family of the late Pule where Seitlholo, Mokhomo, Ntoyi and senior management staff of all the institutions present passed their condolences to the family.
