Residents of North West township decry continuous sewage spills

Residents of Boitumelong Township near Bloemhof in the North West are concerned about raw sewage spillages on the streets. They say they have lived with the problem for months with the Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality doing nothing to resolve the problem.

Residents have given up on the municipality.

“We reported it for the first time to the municipality. On the second week, my daughter went to the municipality to report it but they never helped us,” says a resident from the township.

Another resident complains that the drain issue has resulted in people not coming to buy at his shop.

The municipality revealed that the role of a technical director has been vacant for four years and has acknowledged that as being a contributing factor to the current issue of sewer spillages.

Mayor of Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality Sebang Motlhabi has promised that the matter is receiving attention.

“A council that was collapsed yesterday was supposed to receive a progress report on the recruitment process. You will understand that the technical director is quiet a critical department in the municipality as far as the issue of service-delivery is concerned and in as far as issue of sewage is concerned,” says the mayor.

In June, it was reported that the Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality has been reliant on a Municipal Infrastructure Grant of just R15 million for its yearly operations despite requiring a budget of approximately R350 million to operate.

Earlier in July, the Freedom Front Plus in the municipality announced plans to propose a motion of no confidence against the abovementioned municipal mayor after it was reported that he had rented a luxury vehicle for his official use.