Raw sewage flows on the streets of Welkom as sports ground floods
Fixing Matjhabeng's sewer infrastructure will cost the taxpayer more than R4 billion. This is more than the municipality's annual budget.
On the streets of Welkom, raw sewage has flooded onto the roads, causing a sewage spillage crisis in Matjhabeng Local Municipality, according to Mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha. The municipality, which services primary town Welkom and five surrounding towns, has been grappling with the issue for years. Khalipha declared the municipality a disaster area in his first few months in office due to ongoing sewage spillages.
An independent assessment revealed that 54 of 57 pump stations and 11 of 13 treatment plants linked to the critical sewer infrastructure had been destroyed. Despite the national government's intervention, which has fixed 22 pump stations, Khalipha projects that the municipality will fully eradicate sewage spillages by 2028. The mayor estimates that fixing the sewer infrastructure will cost taxpayers more than R4 billion, which is more than the municipality's annual budget.
Additionally, the municipality is struggling with waste collection, owing money to its power supplier, Eskom, and water supplier, Vaal Central. Matjhabeng also loses 49% of its clean water through leaks due to ageing infrastructure, which the municipality aims to replace over the next five years.
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