The fight to stop Kimberley from sinking into sewage continues as Sol Plaatjes’ collapsing sewerage network increasingly comes under fire.
The DA last week accompanied a representative of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to White City in Roodepan, where twenty-six homes have been broken down after being engulfed by sewage in 2021. We discussed a way forward for the residents who have not been compensated for the loss of their homes. We hope that the SAHRC will prioritize the completion of this investigation. Their recommendations are desperately needed to exert additional pressure on Sol Plaatje to implement remedial action in respect of past and current sewerage spills.
While undeniably the most badly damaged, White City is not the only area in Sol Plaatje to be affected.
Sewage-filled pans with unacceptably high e-coli levels, have formed in the veld around Kimberley. This was confirmed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) during a briefing to the Select Committee on Petitions and Undertakings last week.
DWS reported that both the Homevale and Beaconsfield Waste Water Treatment Plant failed to meet compliance standards for effluent discharge into the environment, and that the Gogga and Main Shaft pump stations were dysfunctional.
The effect is spillages from manholes and conveyance pipelines into residential areas. Blocked drains result in sewer spillages into plots, streets and the environment. Sewage water from the above spillages then runs into the Kamfersdam and Platfontein pans near residential settlements. Consequently, pans are flooding rail and road infrastructure.
If urgent and effective action is not taken, the “White City” tragedy will soon be replicated across Sol Plaatje.
The DA has done numerous exposés on the sewage spills and launched a petition for White City residents. Aside from reporting our concerns to the SAHRC, we have written to the DWS on numerous occasions, asked questions to the Deputy President in NCOP plenaries and had motions tabled to draw attention to the sewerage crisis. We have even laid criminal charges.
Unfortunately, the fight for justice and compensation for the affected residents of White City is far from over, as is the fight to resolve Kimberley’s sewerage crisis.
The DA will continue using all available avenues to draw attention to Kimberley’s burgeoning sewerage crisis and oversee the implementation of the planned refurbishment of infrastructure.