Ward 47 residents, alongside the DA councillor, Mokgadi Kganakga, accuses the municipality of pumping sewage into the Renosterspruit at Bloemfontein in the Free State. They further accuse the metro of failing to complete the construction of the sewerage plant at Roodewal. Kganakga says the Renosterspruit is supposed to be an attraction but it has been an absolute nightmare for years and this has led to local businesses losing thousands of rands. 

Meanwhile, the municipal spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, says the problem was caused by the spillage at the M10. “We have a problem with abattoirs and butcheries that discharge foreign waste which blocks the sewerage system. We had a meeting with all of them, together with social services, and after that there has not been any major spillage in the area," Khedama added.

"Guesthouses have lost thousands of rands in income because the guests cannot stand the stinge caused by exposed sewerage and the plant. Animals drink from the river, its water is used for irrigation, and many farmers on smallholding say the water from their boreholes has just become toxic and poisonous as a result of this sewerage," she added. 

She said both she and the community have brought this issue under the attention of Mangaung’s environmental office and nothing has come from it. “As the temperatures rise the smell becomes worse and it’s like the sewerage is being boiled on the river beds. Raw or partially treated sewage flows into the Renosterspruit, turning dams green, laying waste to fragile ecosystems and harming people and animals who drink this polluted water. The unfinished sewerage plant in Roodewal adds to the air and water pollution. It is almost unbearable to breathe in the air in that area. The sewerage plant is used at its capacity when construction is at 30%," Kganakga further added. She said the case against the metro was laid at the Navalsig Police Station on Thursday 29 October.

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