GIYANI, LIMPOPO — Residents of Section F in Giyani say they have completely lost hope that the Mopani District Municipality will resolve a sewage crisis that has plagued their community for more than two decades. Raw sewage continues to flow through homes and streets, threatening the health, safety, and dignity of families who say they have been abandoned by local government.
The crisis, which residents describe as spanning 22 years, showed no sign of abating four months after municipal officials visited the area in April and pledged the problem would be fixed “within a day or two.” That promise, residents say, has gone entirely unfulfilled.
Broken Promises and Deteriorating Living Conditions
When officials inspected Section F earlier this year, a municipal representative explained that crews were working to replace smaller pipes with a larger one to accommodate the sewage load, with a connection to the pump station expected imminently. Backfilling and clearing of blockages were to follow. Yet, four months on, raw sewage still courses through the neighbourhood.
An elderly resident living beside a ditch filled with raw sewage — reportedly opened by a contractor last month — said the stench and contamination have damaged her health. She told visitors she was diagnosed with a chest condition at a local clinic, which she attributes to the foul air she breathes day and night.
“We struggle day and night. Where should we go and live? We are breathing dirty air every day,” she said, adding that the smell permeates the entire neighbourhood regardless of whether residents are indoors or outside. She accused the government of treating the community “like animals.”
Another resident, who suffers from asthma, said the sewage exposure makes breathing extremely difficult and forces the family to constantly watch young children to prevent them from playing near open sewage pits. Some households have resorted to digging their own drainage channels in a desperate attempt to divert the waste away from their homes.
Calls for Intervention Before November Elections
Frustrated by what they describe as years of being ignored, residents said they have repeatedly reported the problem to both the Greater Giyani Local Municipality and the Mopani District Municipality without receiving meaningful action. Several voiced their reluctance to participate in the 4 November elections unless the situation is addressed beforehand.
“At least if someone can come and assist us before the 4th of November, because we don’t have courage to go and vote while the situation is like this,” one resident said.
Human Rights Commission Vows Action
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) visited Section F this week and signalled it would press the municipality for a resolution.
A spokesperson for the SAHRC stated: “We are going to engage the municipality in the matter and the only objective of our engagement will be for them to resolve the problem. Obviously, they might indicate as to when they will be resolving the problem.”
The spokesperson added that the Commission would continue monitoring the situation and warned of further consequences should the municipality fail to act. “If the problem is not resolved, you’ll understand that we have our own powers. We can simply take them to court if they are not resolving that issue. We can also have findings against the municipality because this is part of what they must do — it is the mandate of the district municipality to attend to this problem, especially the Mopani District,” the spokesperson said.
Municipality Insists Project Is Complete
In response, a Mopani District Municipality spokesperson maintained that the contractor had finished its assigned work. The spokesperson explained that the project involved constructing a new sewer line to support the existing infrastructure, which had apparently not been built correctly.
“The project was indeed completed by the end of April 2026,” the spokesperson said, adding that subsequent issues — including unblocking the connecting sewer line and constructing an additional sewer line — were also completed in June 2026.
A Community Still Waiting
Despite the municipality’s assurances, residents of Section F say the reality on the ground tells a different story. Raw sewage continues to flow, the stench remains unbearable, and families with young children and elderly members continue to face daily health risks.
For the people of Section F, the Giyani sewage crisis is no longer just an infrastructure failure — it is, in their words, a question of whether their government sees them as human beings deserving of basic sanitation and dignity.