The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) will continue to vigorously pursue the prosecution of both GTM and the Mopani District Municipality for the collapse of sewage infrastructure and their continued failure to take corrective action.
This gross dereliction of duty has resulted in relentless sewage spillages, severe environmental degradation, the pollution of rivers and dams, unsafe and unhealthy living conditions, and a blatant violation of residents’ right to human dignity. The crisis has reached alarming proportions:
• In Golden Acres, raw sewage flowed through the residential estate into the Tzaneen Dam for two weeks before GTM finally attended to the pump station.
• The Best Drive pump station, although rebuilt and paid for, remains inoperative, with sewage running directly into the Letaba River.
• The Rietbok pump station is so overgrown that spillages flowing into the river cannot be detected or managed.
• In Billy Maritz Street, the pump station has been non-functional for an extended period. Even when operational, it continues to discharge sewage into the river.
• In Eden Gardens (Extension 78), there is no sewage system at all, yet the municipality continues to allow housing development. Human excrement lies openly across the area, creating one of the most foul, hazardous, and undignified environments imaginable.
• In Nkowankowa, many communities rely on water from the Letaba River, already contaminated by these spillages. The Nkowankowa sewage plant is non-functional, further deepening the crisis.
The health impact is undeniable. A local pharmacy in Nkowankowa confirmed that in just the past two weeks, more than 200 people sought treatment for stomach ailments.
The DA is actively pursuing the criminal complaint lodged in April 2024 against GTM and recently met with representatives of the concerned Letaba Water Board and the Department of Water and Sanitation to expedite the finalisation of the investigation. A similar criminal complaint has now been laid against the Mopani District Municipality, which is responsible for the collapsed Nkowankowa sewage plant.
The DA will not rest until the chronic sewage failures affecting the dignity, health, and well-being of the greater Tzaneen communities and the environment are addressed.