Gogo Mthombeni has been living in sewage for quite some time. The problem was said to have gone worse as from last year December

“While everyone else was having good times during the festive seasons, I was struggling to the municipality to and drain the overflowing sewage” said Gogo.

Several families within Ext 17 are also affected and they cannot use their toilets anymore. Gogo has not been able to use her toilet for several months. “Using a toilet is a struggle because every day I wake up and knock on other people’s houses for them to allow me to use their toilets,” added Gogo who also mentioned that she throw up most of the time, when she has to eat food. Nearby residents said it is always better in the early afternoon, but it becomes worse late afternoon when most people comes back from work. Ward Councilor John Nkosi was contacted for a comment regarding the sewage problem in his ward. He acknowledged the problem and further mentioned that the municipality has been trying hard to solve the problem.

“I know the story of Gogo and other families in that area “I visit Gogo nearly every day to check the situation,” said the ward councilor who added that this past Sunday he could not even go to church because he was trying to help them. Mr Nkosi further mentioned Gogo lives in a corner stand and there are two sewer drains near her, making it worse for her when they overflow.

The mayor was also said to be aware of the situation and even went with the technical team to try and resolve the problem. Mr Nkosi said the problem was caused by the people who throw garbage and prohibited materials down the drains. “People will be shocked to see what we find in those drains”

“We find pampers, condoms, stones and even fetuses,” added the councilor. The municipal technical team is currently waiting for the jet truck from Gauteng, which they said is more powerful to can deal with the blockage. Councilor Nkosi said he feels bad about the situation as no one is expected to live under such conditions. According to him, the jet truck will arrive anytime soon.