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In the community of Westbourne, in Komani, the stench of raw sewage running in open channels is so severe that it is causing the residents to suffer nausea, headaches and even vomiting.

Broken sewer pipes and raw sewage running in the streets and channels in Komani, posing health risks to the community, are not new problems.

However, what has become abundantly clear is that the Enoch Mgijima Municipality and Chris Hani District Municipality still do not have a plan, budget, or the capacity to fix the mess.

This problem is not unique to Komani and seems to be a common occurrence across the province.

The Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) is aware that local and district municipalities across the province are in a state of partial or total collapse.

Cadre deployment at all levels of government has resulted in thousands of officials being employed by the state, but very few of them can do the work required.

There are two words to describe it – INCAPABLE STATE.

I will be writing to the Minister of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Lindiwe Sisulu, to request her intervention, to ensure that not only the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Komani is upgraded, but also that all reticulation pipes are upgraded and/or effectively repaired as a matter of urgency.

In a capable state, nobody suffers the indignity of having to live alongside raw sewage, which makes residents ill and increases the risk of diseases such as Cholera and Dysentery. In a capable state, sanitation infrastructure is regularly and effectively maintained so that residents can live a life of value.

The DA will never stop fighting for the right of residents to live in a clean and healthy environment.

Issued by The DA