Residents fight over ‘sewage dam’

INFIGHTING broke out between Roodepan residents on the weekend over home-made dam walls that were built in Hammerkop Street to deal with raw sewage overflowing from blocked drains in the area.

The police were called to the scene on Friday after residents took matters into their own hands in an attempt to divert the river of raw sewage that is streaming down the street.

A resident in a nearby area noticed that building materials and sand outside his house had rapidly diminished.

Residents were angry that the smelly sewage was blocking the entrances to their homes and had accumulated in a dam in the street.

“Look at the rubble and stones and boulders that have been left here, who is going to clean it up? We cannot carry on living under these inhumane and unhygienic conditions,” the residents added.

Police spokesperson, Captain Bashoabile Kale, said that the municipality, Roodepan police and Pastor Brand from Dassievoel Street had succeeded in convincing the community to open the road on Friday.

This follows after a six-year-old boy broke his leg when he slipped while jumping over a pool of sewage and had to undergo surgery last month.

The DA in the Province has also requested the South African Human Rights Commission and the Green Scorpions to investigate the poor sanitation in Roodepan and the apparent lacklustre approach by the Sol Plaatje Municipality in fixing the problem.

The municipality did not respond to media enquiries. However, it acknowledged last week that it was aware of the problem and stated that it was looking for a “long-term solution”.

It pointed to issues with the sewerage network and stated that the sewage was being pumped from the manholes as a temporary measure.