The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga welcomes the provincial government’s announcement that it budgeted over R200 million to deal with sewer spillage in Govan Mbeki local municipality.
While delivering his adjustment budget speech for 2019 recently, Pat Ngomane the provincial MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, said R204 409 million will be given to the Human Settlements department for the completion of sewer spillages in Govan Mbeki local municipality.
At-least fiver sewer pump stations are currently not working in Govan Mbeki local municipality and this directly affects residents of eMbalenhle Township, Bethal (eMzinoni Township), Evander, Secunda and surrounding areas. Residents of these areas are worried of waterborne diseases like Cholera and Typhoid as raw sewage flows through the water ways direct to the near-by streams that feed the Vaal River catchment area.
Children are playing barefoot in sewer spillages, livestock drinks from puddles of raw sewer and even elderly people are subjected to using buckets to relieve themselves because communal toilets are currently overflowing with sewage.
These spills have been happening around this particular municipality for years, and the DA has been raising this matter with the local council time and time again, but every time we have been ignored – as much that in 2018 the DA reported the municipality to the Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Green Scorpions, asking for investigation into the on-going sewage crises that has resulted raw sewage forming excrement dams between people’s houses.
We are happy that the province has finally decided to act on the residents’ concern and set aside the R204 409 million to finally deal with this matter.
The DA will continue to work with – and hold the municipality and the provincial government accountable in addressing the inhumane conditions that residents of Govan Mbeki are subjected to because of sewer spillages.