Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Bertus Bornman
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West will escalate the issue of collapsing sewerage infrastructure in Orkney to the Executive Mayor of Matlosana. Furthermore, we will approach the Green Scorpions to intervene, as the severity of this issue requires immediate action.
For over two months, residents and businesses have endured unbearable conditions due to overflowing sewerage, caused by neglected and failing infrastructure. Collapsing pipelines, failing pumps, and a lack of municipal resources have worsened the crisis, with no intervention from the responsible department.
This crisis, which spans the entire Orkney area, is a result of the municipality’s lack of cooperation and accountability, leaving the community frustrated and living in unsanitary conditions. This is not all, the list of problems around sewerage infrastructure in Orkney seems to be never-ending.
The reason for all of these problems seems to be a lack of cooperation from the department responsible for sewerage. Several complaints have been left unattended for weeks at a time and it is unacceptable. Residents are forced to live in unhealthy conditions because of the major problem with the decaying sewerage infrastructure and lack of effort from the relevant department.
Urgent intervention is needed to ensure that reported sewer problems are attended to, that teams get the necessary tools of trade and transport to do the work, and that sewer infrastructure is regularly maintained.
Residents deserve better than this. The DA will not rest until this matter is resolved, because fixing Orkney’s sewerage crisis is not just about infrastructure—it’s about protecting our people’s health, dignity, and safety.