Paterson folk sick of stench
Clogged pipes spew raw sewage around Manqindini houses and cemetery
RESIDENTS and the families of those buried at the Paterson cemetery are at their wits’ end with the area fast becoming a cesspool of clogged-up pipes spewing raw sewage around houses and nearby gravesites.
Last year, the Sundays River Valley Municipality had a contractor instal sewerage pipes in the hopes of eradicating the bucket system in the Manqindini location, but residents said since then they had been inundated with raw sewage filling their gardens and flowing into the nearby cemetery.
David Banesi, 47, who has been living in the area for the past 12 years, said it had become intolerable with the continued pungent smell of sewage.
“We can’t breathe here when it overflows. It was so bad in December we didn’t enjoy our Christmas,” he said.
Banesi’s wife, Sinidiswa, who is asthmatic, said the situation was unacceptable.
“I can’t breathe in my own house. We can’t open the doors or windows because of the smell,” she said.
Nomalizo Ngxwashule, 57, whose husband is buried in the cemetery across the road from the Banesis’ home, said it was terrible to see people’s remains being defiled.
“Nobody can lie here in sewage. We spend lots of money to give our loved ones the best resting place and now they have to suffer [this indignity], ” she said.
Mavis Xalepe, 62, showed the damage to her daughter’s grave, which was completely covered in raw sewage.
“My child is buried here and look how the graves are damaged. I do not feel good about it,” she said.
Yandiswa Jim, 42, whose uncle and brother are both buried in the cemetery, said she did not like the fact that her family members were “lying in a dirty place”.
“They should be resting in peace, not like this,” she said.
The Banesis’ neighbour, Zoliswa Zuzani, 35, said the situation had become so bad that she did not let her children, aged two and six, play outside.
“We can’t let them play outside, it is too dangerous and the municipality just doesn’t care,” she said.
Sunday’s River Valley municipal manager Sydney Fadi said he had investigated the matter with the director of infrastructure on Friday.
“The cause of the overspill is the overflow of the drainage system which is caused by our communities throwing nappies and dead dogs in the drains,” he said.
Fadi said the municipality’s shortterm goal was to “jet the drains as and when there is spillage”.
“The long-term solution will require the channelling of the water to the main road ducting them underground,” he said.
Fadi said this could take up to six months to complete, pending environmental authorisation.
“We will drain the water on Tuesday,” he said.