Note to Editors: Find attached a voiceclip from DA Team One South Africa Spokesperson on Basic Services, Makashule Gana
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga accompanied by DA Team One South Africa Spokesperson on Basic Services, Makashule Gana, conducted an oversight inspection to Botleng informal settlement in Delmas where the wastewater treatment plant has been standing idle while raw sewage flows into a nearby stream.
Residents of Botleng have been sharing contaminated water with animals for over 15 years while the failing ANC-led government continues to squander funds meant for service delivery.
The untreated waste has clogged the wetland adjacent to Botleng Township, turning it into a spongy festering mess. Children play on the polluted wasteland as there are few other open spaces in/around the township. The raw sewage has also caused the Bronkhorstspruit Dam to turn green from pollution.
In 2017, former Cooperative Governance MEC, Refilwe Mtshweni stated that all waste water-treatment plants owned by Mpumalanga’s 17 municipalities were polluting fresh water sources such as rivers and wetlands. Despite now being Premier, Mtshweni has done little to address the situation as thousands of Mpumalanga residents still live in filth, such as the residents of Botleng.
The failing ANC continues to demonstrate just how little it cares for the people of Mpumalanga by failing to ensure that communities can exist in clean and safe spaces where their health is not compromised daily just by living.
As we continue to build, One South Africa For All, the DA in Mpumalanga will continue lobbying the provincial government to address the sewage crisis that is slowly killing residents of Botleng. The DA will also approach the Minister of Water and Sanitation to urgently address this crisis.
A DA government will take urgent steps to implement an accelerated service delivery programme that will deliver a quality sewage system that guarantees the well being and dignity of all residents.
