KATLEHONG – A persistent sewerage spillage has turned daily life into an unbearable ordeal for residents of Katlehong, with raw waste flowing along roads and into homes, forcing some to leave their houses and even sleep amid the stench.
Learners at a local school reached breaking point on Friday, taking to the streets to protest the ongoing health hazard that has disrupted teaching and learning.
“When you step outside, you step on the sewage. Their roads are blocked by this sewage,” a resident said, expressing hope that provincial leadership would witness the situation firsthand. Residents said complaints have been lodged for some time, but the sewage continues to affect their living conditions.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, accompanied by other government officials, visited the school to assess the crisis. He conceded that municipalities are strained but acknowledged that provincial government must urgently intervene.
“I must be honest, this is an unbearable situation, completely unacceptable that people are living under these conditions,” Lesufi said. “But we can’t lament, we have to act. We are government. We have to intervene. We have to put resources. We have to bring the skills that we need. But it’s quite clear that our municipality is under undue pressure. I think we are underestimating the challenges faced by municipalities.”
The executive mayor of Ekurhuleni noted that an additional complication is the erection of structures into municipal servitude, bypassing city bylaws. “People are also building their own houses into municipal servitude, and all that creates a bit of problems for us to respond on time when there are blockages,” the mayor said.
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile said proper recovery plans are in place. “There’s going to be a program implemented by the department of education to ensure that they catch up, because there’s been interruptions previously every time there’s a sewer problem,” Maile said. “We are definitely going to look at using Saturdays and Sundays and putting extra resources to make sure that the school performs well throughout the year. But we also want to make sure that we improve their matric results in the province.”
In March this year, the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni launched a R106 million infrastructure project aimed at fixing longstanding sewage problems in Katlehong — a project that may offer relief to residents dealing with persistent sewer overflows.
