The DA in Buffalo City Metro has vowed to help the residents of Dunga Street in Duncan Village after years of battling a sewage spill from a drain that keeps on blocking.
National DA MP Solly Malatsi told the residents they had been trapped in sewage for years because the municipality did not care.
Malatsi was leading a delegation of DA members who were conducting an oversight inspection of sanitary conditions in Duncan Village.He said he was committed to helping the people of Duncan Village regain their dignity.
“The problem here is really a matter of maintenance.
“The drain is blocked and simply needs to be unblocked so that people can live normal lives free of the disgusting smell, diseases and the general health hazard caused by these blockages,” said Malatsi.Sewage was streaming down Dunga and Meki streets and into the yards of the residents in Ward 1. Seventeen houses were affected. People struggled to access their homes or cook and wash as the drain systems of their houses were also overflowing.
Nikelwa Sponono said the health hazard made life unbearable. She said her entire household was treated for TB because of the constant polluted water, which had become a part of their lives.
“We have been reporting this but we have not received any assistance. When it rains, the sewage water comes inside our houses and will stay inside for weeks,” said Sponono.
Residents said they had decided to conduct constant mop-ups of the spillage in their yards and homes on a weekly basis just to decrease the amount of sewage.
The spillage had completely destroyed the tarred road and has affected the flow of traffic as the streets were constantly flooded.
Some residents placed bricks and stones in the spill to create pathways above the flooded streets.
“All these efforts made by the people should be made by the municipality. The sense of hopelessness amongst residents was evident during our interaction. Many of them expressed their frustrations with the ANC government’s continuous assault on their dignity by failing to remove refuse and unblocking blocked drains for several months ,” Malatsi said...