Home News Repair sewerage system or face criminal charge, DA warns NC municipality

Repair sewerage system or face criminal charge, DA warns NC municipality

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“The sewerage infrastructure does not have the capacity to keep up with the demands of the last 40 years of development.”

Pictures: Supplied

THE DA in the Northern Cape has given Phokwane Local Municipality until August 15 to repair the sewerage infrastructure in Jan Kempdorp, failing which the party will open criminal charges.

Community members added that there has been an erratic water supply in Jan Kempdorp for over a week after a pipe burst at an intersection in Andalusia Park.

“The pipe supplies Valspan, Andalusia Park and Ganspan. Water is being supplied to us in a truck and we have to bathe ourselves out of buckets of cold water.”

DA Phokwane councillor Annette van Wyk stated that one of the old pump stations at the sewage plant had rusted through.

“The whole asbestos pipeline from Jan Kempdorp to Ganspan needs to be replaced in order to relieve the current sewerage challenges, where the infrastructure is outdated and the unmaintained sewerage system is crumbling. The infrastructure does not have the capacity to keep up with the demands of the last 40 years of development.”

She added that two bodies were found in the sewage that had dammed up at the silos.

“The sewage is also seeping into boreholes and at least two have been contaminated with e.coli.

“There is also grave unhappiness amongst businesses in the industrial area that have to put up with the stench of the sewage every day. A sewage river now also runs through the area, past the premises of GWK, where it seeps into their property, and also to across the road from Thwalang High School. This poses significant health risks. The sewage in the road is already pushing up into houses in Andalusia Park and in a house at the ‘Lande’.”

Van Wyk said complaints that were lodged with the municipality by community members, farmers, businesses and other stakeholders over the past five years had fallen on deaf ears.

“We demand solutions now. The acting municipal manager and her team have up until August 15 to address the matter, share their proposed solutions with the community and provide me with their sewerage rehabilitation plan, failing which criminal charges will be laid against her” .

Phokwane Municipality said that it would respond once more information was available.

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