Residents of Seweding village in Mahikeng are facing a persistent public health crisis, as the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality admits it lacks the funds to permanently fix a sewage system that has been failing since 2023.
Despite having spent several millions of rands on repairing aged and broken pipes, raw sewage continues to flow through the streets and flood homes, leaving the community aggrieved and desperate.
Following numerous failed interventions and several protests by affected residents, the municipality has now approached the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) for a financial bailout.
In a recent briefing, municipal officials revealed that a new technical assessment has drastically increased the cost of the required repairs.
“The technical assessment conducted by the consultant indicates to us that we need at least R29.7 million to effectively rehabilitate the collapsed pipe,” a municipal spokesperson explained. “That is an increase from the original estimation of about R18 million. It is money we do not have, even when we tried to reprioritize.”
The municipality confirmed that it has submitted a revised technical report to the national department, requesting full funding under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). According to officials, the request has been “positively approved” in principle to deal with the project.
While they await the disbursement of the R29.7 million, the municipality stated that a concurrent MIG-funded project is already underway to replace a section of the problematic pipeline. However, for residents enduring the “unbearable stench,” the temporary measures are not enough.
The health impact on the community has been severe. Residents report a rise in respiratory illnesses, which they attribute directly to the raw sewage flowing through their environment.
“Health-wise, we are not fine. Even our kids are asthmatic. Some got TB, and even the elders in our village—they are sick. Now we have health problems,” a resident said.
Frustration among the villagers is mounting, not just over the delays, but over the funds already spent without a lasting solution. “This contract has been raking money out of the municipality, of which we don’t see any permanent solution here. We as the residents are aggrieved,” another added.
In response to the community’s grievances, the municipality has pointed to a lack of funding as the primary obstacle. However, officials have also blamed some community members for exacerbating the crisis, alleging that foreign objects are deliberately being thrown into the sewer lines, further damaging the fragile infrastructure.