Community steps in after sewage problems leave Ritchie grandmother homeless

COMMUNITY members said they took matters into their own hands to divert overflowing sewage after the home of a 61-year-old grandmother was flooded in Ritchie.

Residents said the house was currently experiencing severe sewer problems, rendering it uninhabitable.

"The situation is dire, and the grandmother is unable to enter her home due to the unsanitary conditions and has had to relocate a she cannot enter her home, and all her belongings have been damaged," they stated. 

DA councillor Elize Niemann said she engaged with the Sol Plaatje municipal Speaker to assist as the pump was not functioning following an electrical outage on Friday during stormy weather.

"There was no electricity in Rietvale for three days, whereupon the pump collapsed. We became aware of the sewage problems on Sunday. The municipality is in the process of demolishing the shanty and relocating the resident, as her home was built on the sewerage line, and it could flood again in the future at any time. The spillage was cleared, and chlorine was thrown on the ground to absorb unwanted smells." 

She added that officials from the Department of Social Development gave the resident a food parcel. 

Spokesperson for Sol Plaatje municipality, Thabo Mothibi, said a sanitation team was sent out to Ritchie on December 2.