Municipality repairs week-long sewage leak

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Routine testing has revealed that local rivers are already contaminated with sewage due to poor water management, according to a 2014/5 Integrated Development Plan Review report. (File photo)

On Friday, OurHealth reported that a burst sewer pipe in downtown Thohoyandou had spewed sewage onto the city’s street for about a week. The spill forced some businesses to close their doors while other local businesses struggled to attract customers because of the stench.

Thulamela Local Municipality Spokesperson Ndwamato Tshiila had previously said that the municipality was aware of the burst sewer pipe but was still trying to locate the problem.

By Sunday, local government had fixed the pipe, which lay only a few kilometres from the municipality’s offices.

Vegetable hawker Joyce Tshithavhane welcomed news of pipe’s repair.

“Thank God the sewage has been fixed,” said Tshithavhane, who previously lost customers due to the spill. “On Monday, I will be able to go back to work, but I have lost a lot of money since last week due to the burst (pipe).”

Local clothing shop owner Mohammad Naidoo said he was also looking at re-opening his clothing store after being forced to close during the spill.

However, Thohoyandou resident Peter Sithole said he still wanted to know why it took almost a week to repair the pipe.

“I still fail to understand why they (municipality) took over a week to fix a broken pipe, which was supposed to have only taken a few hours of their time, ” he told OurHealth.

Read more: Busted sewer pipe leaves downtown Thohoyandou in mess

Author

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho is citizen journalist who is based in the Vhembe District of Limpopo province. He joined OurHealth in 2015 and his interests lie in investigative journalism and reporting the untold stories of disadvantaged rural communities. Ndivhuwo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies from the University of Venda and he is currently a registered student with UNISA.
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