Stink tortures RDP residents

PIGS grunting and roaming around freely, flies buzzing and an unbearable stink of raw human waste abound.

These are the deplorable conditions residents of Botleng township in Delmas are exposed to daily.

Botleng means "place of beauty". But residents of the RDP housing development in Extension 2 , which is built near a sewage plant along the N12 highway, feel differently.

Motorists on the freeway are also subjected to the nauseating smell.

The situation is so bad that Innocent Randasara, who lives in a shack settlement across the freeway, only goes home to sleep.

"In the morning I go to my uncle's house for breakfast because the smell here is just unbearable," he said.

Elsie Vilakazi, 90, who has been living in this area since 1979, said: "We also keep the door closed and use whatever we're cooking as an aroma to make the house smell great. The moment you open the door it smells like we're inside a toilet that's not flushed."

"It's been like this for a while. When it was time to vote [in general elections], different political parties promised to fix this problem, but nothing happened," she said.

Vilakazi worries about the health of her one-year-old grandson, saying: "Breathing [in] this air is not healthy for [my grandson]."

She said she hardly opened her windows.

Selina Ramane, a mother of two, said the stink was unbearable but she felt forced to accept the situation. "When we have to eat, we close the doors so the stink is not overwhelming or we go eat in town.

"The stink is worse when it's hot or windy."

Ramane said there had been community meetings to discuss the issue, but nothing was done to fix it.

Leth'ukukhanya Day Care Centre teacher Rhoda Mbonani said it was difficult to teach under these conditions as children became restless.

"I worry about the health impact of this sewage. I'm especially worried about the kids. This is difficult, but we have to accept that there's nothing we can do."

Victor Khanye local municipality communications officer Sentebaleng Masemola said the sewer plant is old and overloaded.

She said water utility Rand Water assessed the plant and issued a preliminary report.

"The municipality is in the process of finalising the appointment of the service provider supplying chemicals to augment the current situation," she said.

Endangered Wildlife Trust's Bridget Corrigan said: "Raw sewage poses the biggest threat to public health when it enters the water supply through rivers and stormwater drains."

ntsambab@sowetan.co.za

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