Lerato Mutlanyane
...as Homes Battle Overflowing Drains
Two neighbouring households say they’ve lived with sewage flooding, unbearable stench, and health dangers for months—revealing deeper infrastructure failures the city claims it never knew about
onths of overflowing sewage, foul odours, and rising health risks have turned daily life into a nightmare for families in Heidedal’s Ashburry division in Bloemfontein—exposing what residents say is a deepening infrastructure crisis the municipality claims it never knew about. Across two houses - 35A and 35B – homeowners told Journal News that they have reported the same ongoing nightmare to the Mangaung Metro Municipality over the past six months with no luck. What at first appears to be isolated household disasters is revealing a troubling pattern that points to a much larger infrastructure failure. For 71-year-old pensioner Sina Brown, the ordeal began with a gurgling sound in her bathroom sink, bathtub, and toilet. Soon after, a faint but unmistakable sewage odour began creeping out of the backyard drains, accompanied by a musty pool of wastewater that now makes the yard unusable. Because the houses in the area occupy much of the yard space and appear to share sections of plumbing, her neighbours’ flushes cause sewage to rise through her own toilet, bathtub, and sink. Brown fears that if the problem continues, her family will soon face serious health risks. “The issue was reported to the municipality once, but no one has assisted. The plumbing workmanship of both houses is very poor, and that’s what’s causing all these leaks. At this point, I may have to use my own money to fix this because the municipality isn’t helping and the other household can’t afford repairs,” she said. “I am really tired. We cannot live in such dire conditions and just wait for a miracle.” What Brown is experiencing is not an isolated incident—it suggests a wider pattern of neglect extending beyond a single property line. Just a street away, the Meyer family at 35A Abduraman Lane faces a similar daily crisis. Sewage frequently blocks their backdoor, leaking down to the street and creating a pool of mud, faeces, and soggy paper. The household of ten—four young adults and six children—says they have repeatedly reported the issue, including problems with the house’s pipe connections. “This problem has been here for over six months, even longer. The municipality officials came to inspect, but they never came back,” said 20-year-old Nesta Meyer. “We’ve even adapted to living like this.” The health risks associated with sewage exposure are severe: waterborne diseases such as Hepatitis A and E. coli infections, exposure to hazardous pathogens—including bacteria, viruses, and parasites—and environmental contamination. As part of its service delivery mandate, the municipality is responsible for effective sewage treatment, public health education, and routine water quality monitoring. When contacted for comment, the Mangaung Metro Municipality said they had no prior record of these complaints. “This is the first time we hear about this issue, especially in that area. We have conducted multiple sewage works around there, so this comes as a surprise—but we will attend to the matter as in yesterday,” said Communication Liaison Officer for Sanitation, Gcinumuzi Radebe. “Many times, people report issues to councillors, and these queries never reach our office. We will check our records and send a team to resolve the situation as soon as possible.” The story of Perishlaan Avenue is still unfolding. It is a story about infrastructure taken for granted—and the community resilience that emerges when it fails. By speaking up, residents hope not only to fix the pipes but to reclaim the health and dignity of their neighbourhood
