The Democratic Alliance (DA) has reported a longstanding sewage spill affecting households in Montana, De Aar, to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), following the Emthanjeni Municipality’s continued failure to protect residents’ rights to health and a dignified living environment.
The complaint follows the municipality’s repeated failure to permanently resolve the hazardous sewage spill.
Despite residents and the DA relentlessly pushing the municipality to act for the past year and a half, the problem has once again resurfaced, highlighting its inability to implement a lasting solution.
The spill originates from a blocked sewer pipeline in Appel Street, causing raw sewage to back up through household drains. As a result, backyards have been inundated, with some homes even experiencing sewage overflowing into their kitchens, creating hazardous living conditions.
One resident, who cares for vulnerable foster children with medical conditions, fears for their health as the property has become uninhabitable. The persistent stench has permeated the home and laundry, while flies have made daily life unbearable.
The resident was forced to dig a trench in her garden, compromising the property’s perimeter fencing and exposing the household to additional safety risks.
Although the municipality’s Director of Technical Services inspected the property, no meaningful intervention followed. Instead of fixing the underlying problem, municipal officials merely instructed the resident to dig the trench deeper while raw sewage continues to flow into Appel Street.
No household should be forced to live with raw sewage for a year and a half. No resident should have their dignity, health, and safety threatened because of municipal neglect.
The DA has therefore lodged a complaint with the SAHRC because without urgent intervention, the municipality will continue to leave residents exposed to worsening living conditions.
The DA has also requested that the SAHRC takes note that, despite its previous investigation into the Emthanjeni Municipality and the recommendations it made to address service delivery failures and human rights concerns, the municipality has failed to demonstrate any meaningful commitment to preventing further violations of residents’ constitutional rights.