THESE kasi residents are drowning in sewage which runs down the streets and into their yards.
But instead of fixing the mess, workers and the municipality have been playing the blame game instead.
The situation has left people from kasis such as Khuma and Jouberton, near Klerksdorp in North West, at risk of disease.
Resident Flora Mogwasi said when she called the Matlosana Local Municipality to fix the problem, the sewerage team just looked at her yard before leaving again.
Danile Mkilo, another resident, said: “We are worried our children are going to get sick because they sometimes play in the areas where sewage dams up.
“We are appealing to the municipality to come and help us.”
Residents told Daily Sun the situation became worse after municipal workers from the water and sanitation department went on strike last week.
The workers downed their tools after apparently only receiving their basic salaries without their overtime wages last month.
When the SunTeam spoke to workers, blamed the problem on their employer. They said they worked hard to protect the community’s health.
The workers claimed they had to deal with resource shortages and the municipality hired contractors that did shoddy work.
Acting sewerage and roads services director Johannes Pilusa said the problem was caused by the striking workers and community members.
“Some sewer issues come from private homes. If the sewer system gets blocked between a toilet and a manhole, residents need to fix it by themselves by getting their own plumber,” he said.