NW residents brave sewage running outside their homes, health concerns

Some frustrated residents from the Boitekong township are pleading for the African National Congress to intervene on their behalf with sewage running endlessly outside their homes.

The residents said they have not received assistance from the Rustenburg Municipality which is governed through an African National Congress (ANC)-led coalition.

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa and some of the party’s leadership have been in Rustenburg on Wednesday, engaging with community members ahead of the organisation’s January 8 celebrations.

Green, thick liquid sewage flows in front of John Sithole’s corrugated iron home in Boitekong.

While Sithole has dug ditches to try and steer it away from his home, the large volume of sewage makes this difficult.

“You see there is currently no water so there isn’t a lot of sewage flowing but when the water returns, this area will be full of sewage. I am not sure what to hope for because you cannot live without water, but you also can’t live like this.”

Residents said they hope the visit of the party’s top leadership willresult in some action towards their grievances.

RESIDENTS FLAG HEALTH CONCERNS DUE TO SEWAGE SPILLAGE

Some residents in the township have health concerns following a sewage spill that’s been flowing outside their homes since December 2025. 

They said their complaints to the municipality have fallen on deaf ears. 

For Modiri Motimo, getting out of his home means having to carefully jump over the large, green puddle of sewage that has settled in front of his yard. 

“This situation has really negatively affected us. We don’t have fresh air. Our children cannot play outside freely. We didn’t get to enjoy our December.” 

Another resident, John Mashaba, said he has reported the sewage spill to no avail. 

“The children are really struggling because when it’s raining it becomes a problem for them to get to school. They miss out on school and fail.”

Like most parts in the North West, Boitekong overwhelmingly votes for the ANC with all three of its wards represented by an ANC councillor.