Two residents from Pefferville are taking the Buffalo City Municipality to court on October 24 over failing infrastructure causing raw sewage to flow into their backyards.
For almost five years, raw sewage has been flowing from blocked pipes and manholes into pensioner Gloria Ricketts’ and Carol Smit’s backyard in Greenwich Street.
Ricketts, who is nearly 70 years old, has also not had running water in her home for months due to a faulty meter.
Represented by Brandon Blignaut of Niehaus Attorney’s, the residents are demanding BCM fix the cause of the leak and clean the area of raw faeces.
Ricketts, Smit and their neighbours are forced to walk through the sewage using stones as a pathway, when entering or leaving their homes.
One resident slipped and fell into the raw sewage, breaking her leg.
Ricketts said they had approached the municipality for assistance, however, the contractors dispatched to attend to the problem had not been able to fully resolve the leak and not long thereafter, their back yards were flooded again.
Ricketts said: “My heart’s desire is to just leave this place because it has become unbearable to live here. I am old and I don’t deserve this.
“My skin is constantly covered in sores and my breathing is laboured because I am living in untreated sewage.
“When I die, they won’t even be able to carry my body out of here because how will they walk through the sewage.”
For the 2023/24 financial year, BCM has budgeted R43, 382, 543 for sanitation repairs and maintenance across the metro.
Last year, R41, 198, 996 was budgeted, with 99% thereof spent, totalling R 40, 984, 569.
It is unclear how much is dedicated towards infrastructure such as manholes in residential areas.
Blignaut said the court papers demanded BCM do whatever was necessary to stop the sewage from flowing into the residents’ yards, conduct investigations and provide short- and long-term solutions.
Failing this, Blignaut said the residents would seek an order forcing the municipality to conduct fix the problem and do regular maintenance thereafter.
Blignaut said: “Sewage is a health hazard and in the Pefferville area you have elderly people and minor children who are most at risk of being exposed to the raw sewage.
“I have no doubt this case will be won because the court will not allow a women close to 70 years old to continue living with a yard full of faeces.
“The court will not look past the fact that the municipal water meter must be replaced by the municipality and is hindering her right to water.”
Community leader Nathan Miles, who has been assisting Ricketts and Smit, said Ricketts had considered abandoning her home because of the unbearable situation.
“I sincerely hope the court outcome will relieve her and her neighbours from their misery and restore her dignity to enjoy life with her grandchildren. Ricketts and her neighbours have suffered a great deal and even developed skin infections,” Miles said.
“Sewerage infrastructure affects the whole of Pefferville, which forms part of Ward 1 and Ward 6.
“Greenwich Street is one of the biggest affected areas and the residence have endured this for over 20 years.”
Dr Gareth Fray, who has been treating Ricketts and her neighbours for skin infections, said the longer they were exposed to the raw sewage, the more it affected their health.
