Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Lizzy Callaghan.
The DA in Tswaing today laid criminal charges against the Municipal Manager of the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Mr Allen Losaba, for failure to comply with the provisions of the Water Services Act and the Constitution to ensure the effective management of raw sewage in Sannieshof and Ottosdal. (Case number: Cas 63/7/2022).
In addition to the criminal case, we have also requested the Human Rights Commission to investigate the failure of Ngaka Modiri to uphold the constitutional provision as per Section 24, which guarantees the rights of residents to live in an environment that is not harmful to their health and wellbeing and that is free from pollution and degradation.
Both towns have been flooded with raw sewage as Ngaka Modiri has failed to service about 440 residential septic tanks with a capacity of 12 000 litres and 72 business septic tanks with an average capacity of 28 000 litres.
Sannieshof and Ottosdal have been flooded by raw sewage as septic tanks overflow. See pictures here, here and here. Residents are forced to walk and drive through raw sewage. This poses a serious health risk to residents.
The raw sewage also poses a risk to contaminate underground water with E. coli, posing a secondary risk of disease since all residents are largely dependent on borehole water.
AfriForum has previously obtained a court order to compel Ngaka Modiri to ensure effective basic service delivery, specifically in sanitation and water services, but the municipality continues to undermine this judgement and is in contempt of court.
Ngaka Modiri Molema has only provided two unlicenced honeysucker trucks with a limited capacity of 7 500 litres to service these two Tswaing towns, surrounding villages and clinics with a collective sewage capacity of more than 40 000 litres. These two trucks are currently in for repair work in Lichtenburg, which resulted in the massive overflow of raw sewage. Furthermore, the truck drivers are unlicenced.
Ngaka Modiri has failed to make alternative interim provisions for sanitation services in the, leaving residents in Sannieshof and Ottosdal to sit with their hands in their hair and their feet in sewage as a result. See video here.
The DA in Tswaing reported the sewage problems to the Tswaing municipality, but the concerns were shrugged off and the blame was shifted to Ngaka Modiri — both ANC-governed municipalities. We also reported the complaints from residents, along with photos and videos, to Allen Losaba, Municipal Manager of Ngaka Modiri Molema, as well as the Mayor, Cllr Khumalo Molefe. A copy was also sent to COGTAHS MEC, Lenah Miga, but no response has been received.
The ANC obviously could not care less about the plight of residents. It is time that residents in Tswaing return the favour and stop voting ANC.
The DA will follow both cases at the police and the Human Rights Commission closely. It is time that ANC cadres and their ANC political handlers end up in prison for failure to uphold the law.