Sewerage spills continue to be a major headache for Louis Trichardt.
For almost two days last week, businesspeople along Burger Street in the town´s CBD had to endure the stench of raw sewage flowing down the street and causing a serious health risk to, among others, local restaurants Steers and BJ Foods.
Mr Werner Smit, owner of BJ Foods, said that the sewage overflow needed immediate attention since people prepared food in the direct vicinity and the sewage posed a health hazard.
"I have stopped phoning the municipality because it feels as if you are running up against a wall," Smit said.
"The sewage is blocking very, very much. Because of the smell, people do not want to come here. It is affecting my business in a bad way," was the response from Mr Grammy Ramabulana, a local hawker.
Ramabulana contacted Mr Geoffrey Tshibvumo, COPE's chairperson for the Vhembe region, who made numerous calls to the Makhado Municipality. In the afternoon, Tshibvumo made contact with the Director of Technical Services and was told that the municipality was aware of the problem. The following evening, a team of the municipality was seen at the site, where the problem was eventually addressed.
"It is unacceptable that it takes two days to fix a serious emergency. The turnaround time and service levels are too low. The municipality must take the people of this town seriously and they must up the standard of their service delivery," Tshibvumo said.
The Makhado Municipality was asked about the state of the town's sewage system.
"The state of the sewerage system is being given serious attention, although it's quite challenging," was the response from municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi.