KLERKSDORP, NORTH WEST — The Alabama raw sewage crisis in Klerksdorp has reached a critical boiling point, with residents enduring seven years of overflowing raw sewage that poses severe health risks and highlights persistent service delivery failures by the Matlosana local municipality. Despite repeated promises of a permanent fix, the community remains trapped in a cycle of contaminated surroundings, unbearable odors, and broken commitments.
Streams of raw, fermented sewage continue to flow through the streets and into homes in the Alabama community. Residents report that the constant health concerns have robbed them of their basic dignity. One resident noted that the persistent issue forced them to relocate their children to a relative’s home earlier this year after the youngest developed a severe, recurring cough. Community members express deep frustration over temporary fixes, noting that when private companies are brought in to unblock one area, the sewage inevitably bursts forth in another.
The human cost of this ongoing environmental hazard was highlighted by the recent death of Motlalepule Sylvia Mosetlhi, one of the community’s most vocal campaigners. During a National Council of Provinces oversight visit in May, Mosetlhi pleaded for intervention, revealing that raw sewage had been overflowing at her home for four months. She described her children vomiting blood and falling ill due to the exposure. Although there are no official medical findings directly linking her passing to prolonged sewage exposure, her family firmly believes the conditions contributed to her deteriorating health, citing a severe lung infection that developed after months of living with the overflow in her yard.
In response to the resurfacing crisis, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has reopened its investigation into the long-standing environmental and dignity complaint. This follows a brief resolution previously achieved through the commission’s intervention in 2024.
Shirley Mlombo, a spokesperson for the North West Human Rights Commission, addressed the recurrence of the issue. “Since the finalization of the complaint, we have not received further complaints from the complainant regarding the same issue. Accordingly, we are only made aware now that the matter has since resurfaced,” Mlombo stated. “Now that this information has been brought to our attention, we will look into the matter and investigate the reason for the recurrence of a matter that was supposed to have been resolved in August 2024.”
In a written response, the Matlosana local municipality stated that it is currently awaiting pathology results from the Department of Health regarding the passing of Mosetlhi. The municipality attributed the current severe sewer blockages to muddy clay and restricted access for jet vacuum trucks, which they claim are the root causes of the ongoing infrastructure failures.
For the residents of Alabama, hope has increasingly given way to profound frustration. Wary of a continuous cycle of unfulfilled pledges, the community fears that without immediate, sustainable intervention, the next generation will inherit the same debilitating struggle for basic sanitation and human dignity.
