The Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) has once again committed to trying to find a solution for a sewage spill at Mahonisi near Elim. The stench created by the sewage has caused residents to abandon their homes and even their informal shops.
Residents claim that the raw sewage has been spilling out of a manhole for nearly two years. Ms Rirhandzu Chabalala (41), who lives close to the place where the sewage flows out, said the stench was posing serious health risks. "We cannot eat food in peace, because of the unpleasant smell," she said.
She explained that they had tried to escalate the matter to the relevant departments at the VDM that deals with sewage blockages on several occasions, but to no avail. "I recall in 2021 when they came and requested water from us to fix the sewage. Even though we have a shortage of water in this area, we gave them water that we bought for R2 per 25-litre container. However, the sewage started leaking again within one day," she said.
Ms Tirhani Mashele (48) said that she had been forced to close her tuck shop because of the bad smell. "I was left with no option but to close my shop and it was my only source of income. Customers were no longer supporting my business because of the stench," she said.
She said that she had attempted to find her own solutions just to try and keep her customers. "I even tried to change the location of the gate to avoid the bad smell, but it did not work. The situation worsened as the smell got stronger each day," she said.
Ms Sayina Hlungwani (75) said that they had been facing the same problems, without a solution in sight. "We breathe dirty air, and we cannot relocate because of the sewage spilling. The situation has been like this since April 2020, and no-one is willing to help us. It was even difficult for me to plough because of the stench," she said.
The VDM's spokesperson, Mr Matodzi Ralushai, denied that the problem has been continuing for so long. He said that the problem became more serious last year, but the municipality's teams would try and unblock it. Ralushai said that the delay in permanently fixing the overflowing manhole was because it was difficult to identify the root cause of the problem.
"We initially thought it was the sand accumulation, but after replacing the affected pipe, the challenge still persisted. We later discovered that traces of concrete were disposed into a sizeable part of the entire pipeline," he said.
Ralushai said that the VDM officials were in the process of fixing the problem. "We have already started with the logistics of getting materials to fix the pipes. We anticipate concluding the pipe removal and the upgrade by early next week, 22 February," he said.