Deteriorating sewer system in Ext 9 By Petrus Moshe

The photo posted here, is in the North West province, Jouberton, Extension 9, whereby the municipality has built RDP houses nearby sewerage bulk drainage. All flush toilets are connected and poured human feces and urine in this area because of poor sewerage system.
The human feces and urine are over pouring everywhere around the area and posing unhealthy environment. The smelling is unbearable, affects all the people who reside around that area. This area is not conducive for human settlement. For the residents in extension 9, this is their daily experience and they have given up hope, and the smell and the mess around has become part of their lives.
The problem has been there for a long time, but it was not this worse because this area was not meant for human settlement people just went settled there informally because the was not residential area for the people. It becomes apparent when RDP houses were built 2005, and many people had to relocate to this area, which was unhygienic, unhealthy, and environmentally unfriendly for human settlement.
When, the municipality of Matlosana started to locate the people to this area, they knew quite well that area belongs to municipality for the dumping sewerage. The municipality did not notify that people that area was not suitable for human settlement instead they had made it to be legally recognized as a settlement.
I approached the following people for comments: Community leader who remains anonymous. “the poor people are however, still subjected to stay at place like this after 18 years of democracy, how are people supposed to live their lives in dignity” This is frustrating coming from a democratically elected leader who lost hope in the system because according to him the area has been a health hazard since the beginning and he also mentioned that in their council meetings he always raise this issue but nothing is being done to normalize the situation. He also added that whenever he tries to raise the issue even to the IDP officer he is always told that the sewerage issue at his ward is not one of council priority.
I also met Mama Sara who says that there was no proper consultation about people having to reside in this area and people where just happy to move into RDP houses for the first time in life, hence, beggars are not choosers. However, she did not anticipate about the out- comes or problems which came along to living in the area posing sicknesses such as T.B and related disease.
My third informant. I asked the family of Mr. Dlamini about this unhealthy area if is not posing any danger to them? Who responded by saying ‘unfortunately my son and I are the victims of this environment, my two grandchildren are also sick from tuberculosis, I believe that is the badly smell coming out of the ground and the air we breathe is one which has resulted T.B.
House to house consultation with Justice and Peace in term of healthy monitoring school, generally, many people are sick from T.B and Asthma.
In conclusion, in whatever development is made people must be consulted and allowed to participate in whatever decisions that might affect their lives and their future.