Police spokesperson, Adele Myburgh, confirms to OFM News that the police opened a case docket to investigate the death of these residents. 

Connie Cloete, Lenox Thubeni, Chris Pretorius, and Mpho Melato died after attempts to unblock a municipal sewer pipe in Kgetleng River without the necessary safety gear such as a breathing apparatus. Myburgh says it's alleged that the four opened the manhole in the street, climbed down and one after the other lost consciousness. 

According to the DA Member of Parliament (MP), Cheryl Phillips, the four allegedly died when they were overcome by gas fumes while trying to repair the blocked sewer pipe. The municipality has not yet responded to OFM News' questions. 

Phillips told OFM News two of the men were declared dead on the scene last week Friday while the other two died in the local hospital on Saturday and Sunday respectively. "The tragic deaths of these men are a direct result of the municipality’s failure to deliver services to the people of Kgetleng River. Service delivery is non-existent, residents are constantly without water supply, refuse collection is erratic and infrastructure maintenance is almost non-existent," she further added.  

 OFM News