By Dideka Njemla
After a week of no water access, several communities are demanding immediate action from the Makana Municipality to attend to the town’s ageing infrastructure and lack of maintenance and repairs. The municipality’s lack of transparency and ongoing infrastructural repair has become a critical water crisis that requires urgent remedial action.
The residents of Ghost Town are frustrated by the unsanitary conditions they face daily and are compelled to endure. Nearly half of the homes in the area are affected by broken water pipes or a severe sewage crisis, subjecting individuals to contaminated water and illnesses. Community members have reported that Makhanda’s deteriorating wastewater treatment facilities and dangerous infrastructural problems have been neglected issues that they have continuously dealt with for years.
During our visit to the area, we came across numerous water-damaged yards accompanied by a strong odour of sewage. Iyasha Baatjes was among those affected by the unattended sewage overflows and stench in her property. Baatjes said that she has dealt with this crisis for six years and has watched the condition worsen over time. “I’ve dealt with the meter leakage since 2019, and the drain has been bothering us since October last year. I live here with my family, and I cannot begin to express how tough these challenges have made life for my family and me,” she said.
She also mentioned that faeces sometimes enter her bathtub through pipe reflux. “Before anyone uses the bath, I need to clean it and disinfect it. We do not have another alternative, so I am forced to clean it. My skin often reacts and flares up due to these imposed issues and the irritation caused by the disinfectants that I use inside and outside the house. This has become a health and sanitation problem that is severely limiting our livelihood. It has also become a financial burden,” she shared.
‘Makana, come fix this’
According to Baatjes, she has reported her complaints to the municipality several times, but has not yet received any responses or assistance. “We just need the Makana Municipality to come fix this. No one deserves to live in this condition. We don’t even open our windows anymore because of this smell. It’s bad now, but it gets worse on hot days. Our whole community needs immediate intervention,” shared Baatjes.
In the same street, the house owner of number 22, who requested to remain anonymous, shared that she is facing a similar issue involving a water leak in her yard that flows onto the street. “I spoke to the municipal manager several times, and still nothing has been done about this mess.”
Other affected residents who wished to stay anonymous expressed their frustration, saying, “On Dickinson Street, there’s a leakage of clean water. The water is flooding the entrance of the lady’s home, and she’s a senior citizen. It’s been like that for two years. We go for many days with no clean water supply, yet it’s being wasted because it leaks from these houses into the streets.”
