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A sewerage treatment plant.
Access to water and sanitation is recognised as a fundamental human right, essential for health, dignity and prosperity, according to the United Nations (UN) Water. But for many in South Africa, this is not the case, as communities endure the daily inconvenience and health hazards of sewage spills.
In Mahikeng, North West, residents face constant sewage spills caused either by government negligence or by some locals tampering with the sewerage system.
The situation highlights the ongoing struggle for basic services and the urgent need for solutions to protect public health and well-being.
The picture is bleak for residents of areas such as Danville in Mahikeng who have sewage spills right on their doorstep,
“For the past 20 years we’ve been living in conditions such as this, this to me is very inhumane because now waterborne diseases are increasing,” one resident laments. Another says, “The sewerage blocks now and then.”
As the water and sanitation authority, the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality has acknowledged the problem.
Executive mayor Khumalo Molefe says, “Our streams that feed Letlamoreng and Setumo Dam are indeed contaminated by various sources. First, we must concede that our Two-Ways water treatment plant is not operational. That is the Mmabatho and the Mahikeng wastewater treatment plant. This is a result of the termination of the service provider who was doing the operation and maintenance of the Mahikeng and Mmabatho wastewater treatment plants. We are in the process of appointing another service provider who will do operation and maintenance at the Two-Way wastewater treatment plant.”
