Nelson Mandela Bay admits to “serious infrastructure problems”
9 December 2019
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has admitted that it has “serious infrastructure problems” amid complaints by several communities of recurring blockages.
Sewerage drains have been overflowing in townships and rivers, posing a serious health risk to residents and animals. For many years the municipality has been shifting the blame to illegal dumpers. But early this year, recently ousted mayor Mongameli Bobani, allocated R40 million to clean up illegal dumping and littering.
Residents of Soweto-on-Sea and Missionvale have been calling for the replacement of their sewerage pipes to stop the regular blockages which they say has turned their townships into pigsties.
From Old Uitenhage road near Smartie Town to Missionvale, three blocked drains have overflowed into the Aloes Valley. In Soweto-on-Sea, residents of Hlanganani Street say they have experienced blockages regularly, often days after it was fixed.