Press Statement by – Zodwa Mkhwebane DA Councillor Govan Mbeki Local Municipality.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Govan Mbeki calls on the Municipal Manager, Elliot Maseko to urgently attend to an ongoing sewage crisis in eMbalenhle.
During an oversight, we witnessed raw sewage flooding homes and streets. This exposes residents to serious health risks. Communities have endured years of recurring sewage spillages, often with only temporary fixes and no permanent solution.
We have since learnt that children and residents are already experiencing health complications linked to exposure to sewage. It must be noted that this is not an isolated failure, it is part of a long-standing, legally confirmed environmental disaster.
Previously, the municipality was found guilty of environmental law violations, including pollution of water resources.This resulted in a R200 million fine by the Bethal Magistrate Court. After this, the municipality was ordered to urgently repair infrastructure and stop ongoing sewage contamination.
Despite this, residents are still subjected to critical infrastructure failures, including open valves, and untreated sewage flowing into the river systems.
This is a direct violation of court orders, environmental laws, and the constitutional rights of residents. The continued discharge of raw sewage into rivers such as the Blesbok and surrounding water systems is not only illegal but threatens agriculture, biodiversity, and downstream communities.
This is no longer just service delivery failure, it is environmental negligence of the highest order.
Residents have repeatedly reported these issues, and the municipality keeps on failing to come up with a tangible solution.
With this in mind, we urge the Municipal Manager to come up with a restoration plan of all pump station systems and urgently make infrastructure upgrades as per the court order.
The people of eMbalenhle are not asking for luxury, they are demanding basic dignity, health, and clean living conditions. The DA will not abandon this community, we will continue to fight until the municipality prioritises their basic needs.