The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Makhado intends to write a letter to the mayor to raise its concerns regarding the maintenance of overflowing blocked drains and the clearing of bushes, especially in areas such as Sendedza village.
Sendedza residents have experienced overgrown, waterlogged yards for the last three years. "We are not sure why the municipality is not attending to blocked drains in our area. Whenever we experience heavy rains, this smelly water flows into our yards. Last year, we as a community voiced our concerns about it to the ward councillor but nothing has been done yet," said Fhumulani Manugu, one of the affected residents.
Manugu told Limpopo Mirror that he sometimes hired people to clean the drainage and paid them from his own pocket. "Most of the affected people leave the water to dry, but this causes challenges. Sometimes the children cannot get past the water that dams up to go to school. This also creates a breeding nest for mosquitoes that get into our homes in swarms as well as a breeding ground for frogs. Frogs attract snakes. Besides this, there is a bad smell hanging over our homesteads all the time," said Manugu.
Ward 33 councillor Khuliso Mukheli, however, blames the community for continuously causing the drains to block up, and says that clearing blocked drains is the responsibility of the Department of Public Works.
Meanwhile, DA councillor in Makhado Aaron Madavha said his party would like to know why the Department of Public Works was neglecting to clear the tall grass and bushes and maintain blocked drains in the village. "The municipality's failure to properly maintain the water-drainage system in the village is detrimental to the quality of life for residents, as well as the local economy, which has the potential to bring about economic benefits and raise living standards," said Madavha.