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The White River Local Municipality needs to urgently attend to the sewerage spillage from Uplands, Pine Lake and other surrounding areas streaming into White River for the past 6 weeks. The infrastructure is crumbling, it has old asbestos pipes which are not wide enough to handle the amount of sewer that flows into it.

Currently, the sewer is contaminating the river which supplies water to residents, farmers on the river line and live stock - including to Primkop Dam and Crocodile River. Despite this, the 2020/2021 IDP shows no indication of the municipality prioritizing the sewerage of White River. There is no budget approved for maintaining the sewer infrastructure.

It is unacceptable that a river which is a primary source of water for residents can be left in such a filth. The failure to maintain infrastructure is an infringement on a basic human right and serious a health hazard.

The DA urges the MEC of COGTA, Mandla Msibi to immediately attend to this, and devise a plan to fix the current spills and upgrade the entire sewerage network.

The DA will monitor the process of fixing the system and will not relent until the people of White River have access to clean water.

Issued by The DA