The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has noted with concern the sewage spillage in Naledi Local Municipality. The Minister has subsequently dispatched a team of engineers from the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) to work with all key role players that includes CoGTA in the Province and the Municipality to resolve the challenges.

Naledi Local municipality has been facing sanitation challenges for some time and this were as a results of a range of issues. At the top of the list of issues that causes sanitation challenges is the dilapidated, old and dysfunctional sewer network. Another cause for concern is small pipes for the current volume of effluent and the situation is made worse as regularly foreign objects are found in the sewer line and this in turn creates sporadic blockages in the system.

Unfortunately the municipality’s turnaround time to respond and attend to spillages, blockages and resolving the dysfunctional sewer network has been too slow, mainly due to lack of resources.

In the past 5 weeks, the Municipal employees embarked on an industrial action and this resulted in sporadic sewer spillages which in turn created a massive backlog that needed urgent attention.

This industrial action will in turn make it even more difficult for sewer challenges to be resolved. We are are concerned that such spillages brings harm to communities and as such as CoGTA, we will do everything to resolve this challenges, said Minister Dlamini Zuma.

An action plan has however been developed to mitigate and remedy the situation. COGHSTA and MISA in partnership with Naledi Local Municipality are currently providing an intervention on the ground to remedy the dire situation and bring back dignity to Naledi residents.

The action plan includes the replacement of main sewer line in Royden Road, Sewer line replacements in Coleridge and main outfall line upgrading to address small bore sewer problems.

Source: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs