Mokgoba residents demand urgent intervention over sewage and road crisis

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02-06-2026
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Benoni City Times
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The residents marched to the City of Ekurhuleni to hand over a memorandum.

The unbearable stench of raw sewage flowing through residential yards and gravel roads flooded with stagnant pools of water has left the residents of Mokgoba frustrated, angry and demanding urgent intervention from the City of Ekurhuleni.

Led by community leaders, including California Bikizana, residents marched to the municipality’s headquarters in Germiston last week to hand over a memorandum detailing years of poor service delivery and deteriorating living conditions.

The march was later followed by another engagement with municipal officials, who requested seven days to conduct a thorough investigation and prepare a clear action plan for the troubled community.

But for many residents, including long-time resident Margaret Sathekge, patience has run out.

Sathekge said her yard has become engulfed by overflowing sewage, creating unbearable living conditions and severely affecting her health over the years.

“My yard is surrounded by sewer water almost every day. The smell is terrible and we are forced to live in these unhealthy conditions,” she said.

Despite repeatedly reporting the matter to the ward councillor and the municipality, she claims little has been done to resolve the issue.

“We have complained many times, but nothing changes. We are tired of promises while our families continue suffering,” she added.

Bikizana said residents are no longer living in safe or dignified conditions.

“Raw sewage flows openly near our homes every day, the smell is unbearable and potholes continue to damage roads and put lives at risk,” she said.

“Children are growing up surrounded by dirt and contamination, while families live in fear of diseases and unsafe environments. This crisis has robbed the community of peace, dignity and basic human living conditions.”

According to Bikizana, what hurts residents the most is that the problems have persisted for years despite countless complaints and appeals to the municipality.

“The community feels abandoned and forgotten. We have reported these issues repeatedly, but the municipality continues to offer temporary fixes or no response at all,” she explained.

“Residents are frustrated because despite meetings and complaints, nothing meaningful has changed while people continue to suffer daily.”

In the memorandum handed over to the municipality, residents demanded urgent and permanent intervention to restore dignity to the community.

Among their demands are the immediate repair of sewer systems, fixing potholes and damaged roads, proper infrastructure maintenance, accountability from municipal departments and clear deadlines for implementation.

“Residents are expecting action, not promises. We want visible change that restores dignity to our community,” Bikizana said.

She added that the ongoing crisis has had a devastating impact on vulnerable residents.

“Children are exposed to dangerous and unhealthy surroundings every day. Elderly residents struggle to move safely because of damaged roads and flooded areas,” she said.

“Business owners are losing customers because people avoid the area, while commuters are forced to travel through unsafe roads that damage vehicles and threaten lives.”

Bikizana believes the long-term solution lies in proper infrastructure investment, consistent maintenance and urgent response systems for community complaints.

“Our message to city officials is simple: people are suffering and enough is enough,” she said.

“We are tired of empty promises while our community continues to live in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. The people of Mokgoba deserve immediate action, respect and a safe environment to live in.”

We are awaiting a response from the municipality.