By Thapelo Molefe
The DA has urged the Eastern Cape government to intervene in Scott’s Farm and Vergenoeg in Makhanda, where residents are facing sewage overflows, unreliable water supply and damaged housing.
DA Frontier Constituency Leader Jane Cowley said she had written to Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Zolile Williams and Eastern Cape MEC for Public Works, Infrastructure and Human Settlements Siphokazi Lusithi, calling for urgent action in the two communities.
“The Makana Municipality has completely reneged on their legislative responsibility to provide drinking water to residents, who are now totally dependent upon the goodwill of non-profit organisations such as Gift of the Givers for access to drinking water,” Cowley said on Wednesday.
Cowley said residents were being forced to depend on non-profit organisations for drinking water after the municipality failed to provide a reliable supply.
She said raw sewage was flowing through streets and collecting in residential yards, creating serious health risks. Some residents who still receive water through municipal taps fear it may be contaminated by sewage, she said.
The DA said damaged and ageing infrastructure had worsened conditions in the area, with tree roots reportedly penetrating water and sewage pipelines and damaging nearby RDP houses.
Residents have raised concerns about cracked walls and shifting foundations, with fears that some structures could collapse.
“The roots of huge trees in the area have grown into non-functional sewage and water pipes and have caused untold damage to many RDP houses in the area, cracking and shifting house walls,” Cowley said.
Cowley said the affected communities also lacked proper road infrastructure.
During an oversight visit to Scott’s Farm and Vergenoeg last week, the DA said residents reported that complaints about water, sewage and housing problems had been raised repeatedly with municipal officials and ward councillors over several years without meaningful intervention.
“I have written to the MEC for Cogta, Zolile Williams, to highlight these deplorable conditions and to strongly urge that an immediate intervention is initiated to repair all sewage and water lines, with definitive timelines for the implementation and completion of such intervention,” Cowley said.
She also asked Lusithi to provide temporary accommodation for residents whose homes are no longer structurally sound and to outline a plan to repair or rebuild damaged houses.
The DA accused the ANC-led Makana Municipality of focusing on preparations for the National Arts Festival while residents continued to live without reliable basic services.
“While the income of the festival is welcome and crucial to the economic survival of Makhanda, it cannot be that the permanent residents remain completely unserviced by the uncaring ANC-led local government,” Cowley said.
“It is time to restore dignity to the people of Makhanda,” she said.
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