But sewage still flows in the Vaal

working. One of the contract workers on site said the plant has not been working for weeks but the sewage still flows into it.

“We are working on fixing it but it’s taking time and the sewage flowing in has to go somewhere so it goes into the Vaal River when the plant overflows,” he said.

A stone’s throw from the sewerage plant, it reeks of faecal matter. There are patches of marsh created by running sewage water. Herders sit afar.

Nearby is the Sakhile township where Paulos Masondo walks home carrying his fishing poles. His large hat has seen many suns by the Vaal River, where he used to make a living selling his catch.

“We didn’t get anything today. We haven’t gotten anything in a very long time. So sometimes I just sit at the river to remind myself of the old times before the dirty Pampers [disposable nappies] and the kak in the river. I go there now and it’s just so dirty but at least I can waste time there instead of loitering in the township,” said Masondo.

The 65-year-old added that when he needs to make money he has to hire someone to drive him to the Grootvlei Dam, about 30km from Standerton, which is where he and many others fish nowadays.

“It’s far so I don’t go there every day. If I did I would spend all the money I make from selling the fish on transport.”

Not far away is a primary school where sewage also flows past into the marsh area and then into the river.

In Standerton town, the traffic lights don’t work, infrastructure looks visibly aged and there are potholes on most streets. The state of disrepair does not discriminate.

The Vaal River runs along one of the suburban areas in Standerton called Meyerville. An elderly couple — Fein and Koos Lotter, who have lived here for 13 years — told the M&G that for the past seven years the stench of raw sewage has forced them to stay indoors.

“You can’t sit out here and enjoy a nice breeze or eat because you are constantly smelling this terrible, vile smell. There have been so many people who have come to inspect this place over the past few years. Even the national department was here saying they would bring in people with skills to fix this problem. But still today we live with raw sewage flowing just over there,” says Fein Lotter, pointing to the spillage only a few metres from her home.

Meanwhile, in April, the department of water and sanitation said it would set a further R341-million aside to prevent pollution in the Vaal River by resuscitating wastewater treatment infrastructure in the Vaal Triangle.

Trapped: Koos and Fein Lotter have lived in Standerton for 13 years. They are no longer able to sit outside because the stench is overpowering

Sold up the river: Professor Anthony Turton says the state is the biggest polluter of water, through its failure to ensure sewerage treatment works are functioning

Race against time: Contract workers busy repairing the Standerton sewerage works. One of the workers says the plant has not been functional for weeks but sewage still flows into it. Until it is repaired, this sewage then flows into the Vaal River. Photos Delwyn Verasamy