DA leader, John Steenhuisen, visited the province for a couple of days and went to Welkom, where he found sewerage issues affected schools, churches, residents, and businesses. He said he visited the Unitas Secondary School and was heartbroken by what he found. The learners at the school in question cannot make use of some of the school facilities because of sewage spillages.

He is of the view that the residents of Matjhabeng have been subjected to this as a result of the failure of the municipality to maintain the infrastructure. The school hall and sports facilities cannot be used as it is flooded by sewage. Some parts of the school’s yard are not safe for learners. “It was really sad for me to see that.”

Sports facilities cannot be used as it is flooded by sewage. Photo: Facebook

Another challenge faced by the municipality is the issue of water supply. Mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha confirmed that more than half a billion rand are needed to deal with prolonged issues of water-shedding. For a large part of the year, residents here have been subjected to spending days with dry taps.

“Very soon we will be able to deal with water challenges. There is a short-term issue and there is a long-term issue because we need more than half a billion rand to fix the infrastructure of Bloem Water. I do not doubt the work done by Minister Mchunu, he will intervene,” Khalipha added.

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