{
  "id": 11362956,
  "title": "Gauteng family living in sewage for two years as health fails",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/gauteng-family-living-in-sewage-for-two-years-as-health-fails",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T05:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/opinion/gauteng-family-living-in-sewage-for-two-years-as-health-fails/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Gauteng's Boipatong township, a family is being forced to endure the indignity of living in sewage for two years, as their health rapidly deteriorates. The 63-year-old mother, Masetumo Marago, her 25-year-old daughter, and 93-year-old father face this grim reality every day, despite the fact that Marago had previously enjoyed good health. Her current condition is worsened by bronchitis and other breathing ailments, with her health now at risk due to the sewage contamination. \"I am literally dying in my home... and nobody cares. For me to step out of my house, I have to put on four face masks and a handkerchief,\" she laments. Marago's plight is far from unique, as a botched repair of a manhole at a nearby school led to sewage spilling into approximately 10 residential properties. Despite her desperate pleas for help, the municipality's response has been unhelpful, with Marago stating that no action has been taken to rectify the situation. The issue of critical wastewater treatment systems across the country is not isolated to Boipatong, as data reveals that nearly half of the 848 wastewater treatment systems audited in 2025 were in a critical state. This is exacerbating the risks to public health and the country's rivers. The question remains: how can government authorities allow such suffering to continue when it is the only home these individuals have?",
  "summary": "63-year-old mother Masetumo Marago says she is literally dying in her home as sewage has been seeping in for past two years in Boipatong.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}