Residents of Manini Block K in Thohoyandou are complaining that they have had to endure the stench coming from a persistent sewage spillage at the nearby Thavhani Mall for more than three years now, and nothing gets done about it.
The community leader at Maniini Block K, Mr Mpfariseni Erick Radzilani, says the smell is making residents sick and causing them sleepless nights. They now regret living so close to the mall, as they cannot live with the smell anymore.
Radzilani says the sewage spillage runs straight into the Lukunde River, which flows into the Nandoni Dam. He says that, when they realised that the matter was not being attended to, they informed the management at Thavhani Mall about the spillage, who replied that the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) was aware of the matter but doing nothing about it.
Thavhani Mall's manager, Mr Brenden Nesengani, told the media that the smell of the sewage was a nightmare to live with - not only for the mall, but for shoppers and the nearby community at Maniini Block K too.
"Thavhani Mall is one of the biggest malls in Thohoyandou. We are badly affected by the permanent foul smell coming from the sewage spill, which is also a health hazard to the communities around Maniini and their children. We have reported the matter to a VDM official in charge of water and sewage – a man only known as 'Tshikororo' - who promised to get the matter resolved, but nothing comes from it. It has been more than three years now," said Nesengani.
The Vhembe District Municipality's spokesperson, Mr Matodzi Ralushai, said he would investigate the matter and that technicians would be dispatched to fix the sewage spillage. "We will get to the bottom of the problem and hopefully it will be dealt with immediately. We urge other communities that experience the same problem with burst sewage pipes to inform us as soon as possible," said Ralushai.