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A fish came out of my tap, Noble!-Andre Smit
The last thing anyone wants when they turn open their kitchen faucet in the morning is to find a fish swimming in the water, but that is exactly what happened to Lené Roux, chairperson of the Komatipoort Despondent Residents Association (KDRA) about a year ago.
Although small, it was unmistakably alive and well. Roux caught it and transferred it to her koi pond. “At least it had a chance to survive,” she says.
While this may sound like a comedic experience, dirty drinking water is not a laughing matter.
Decidedly less comical is the raw sewage that flows all over town and makes residents and visitors gasp for fresh air.
It is no wonder that KDRA members turned to the High Court for help after their pleas to the Nkomazi Local Municipality fell on deaf ears.
The stench from the sewage spills was at times so severe that guests staying at Roux’s guesthouse in Komatipoort refused to eat in the dining room.
Evacuation
The Transnet building in the village had to be evacuated due to repeated sewage spills into the building, and customers had to walk through sewage to get to the local supermarket and hardware store.
The Crocodile River was contaminated and a leak at the Orlando pumping station in town resulted in raw sewage flowing into the communal vegetable garden where residents grow spinach, corn and tomatoes for their own consumption and to sell.
It and the swarms of flies lured by the mess pose a major health hazard.
Apart from a few technical points, the municipality did not object much of an objection and ruled on 19 April that there was a water shortage and sewage spill in Komatipoort and surrounding areas that spill into the Crocodile River, thereby posing a health hazard to the communities. .
It added that the waste disposal sites and sewage works in Komatipoort are not well managed and need urgent attention as this is the cause of the sewage spill.
Court order
The court ordered the municipality and its municipal manager to take urgent steps to address the causes of the sewage spill and rehabilitate the contaminated sites. They must also provide potable water to the residents.
They must report to the court within 21 days.
The court also authorized the residents to appoint an expert to monitor the sewage works for a period of 12 weeks, at the municipality’s expense, and to compile a report to be submitted to the court.
Municipalities need skills development to properly maintain systems
Roux says residents are grateful for the order, but need to see how the municipality responds.
However, until Friday (26 April), Nkomazi Municipality did not take any steps to stop the dumping of raw sewage, says Vidette Roux, attorney at Kotze and Roux Attorneys representing the residents. In fact, since the residents took up the case in January 2023, there has been little response.
“Our expert has been in Komatipoort since 25 April and last week Thursday raw sewage was still flowing from three different points,” says Vidette Roux.
“At one of the points, the municipality took steps to unblock the pipes, but they failed to stop the spill once and for all.”
She said the municipality has 21 days from the date of the order and thereafter the expert appointed by the residents will continue to monitor the situation.
If the problem is not resolved within the 21-day period, the residents will return to court with the expert’s report, show the court that the municipality failed to comply with the order and ask that the expert be allowed to complete the management of the sewage works and provision of clean drinking water.
They will also ask the court to send the municipal manager to jail for contempt of court, she said.
source:A fish came out of my tap, Noble! – People’s Power News (volkskrag.co.za)
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