4 September 2026
Hundreds of households in these RDP flats in Obed Nkosi township in Heidelberg, Gauteng, have to live with the stench of raw sewage. Photos: Jabulile Mbatha
“No human being should be living in a place like this,” Thapelo Sekhoto, a resident in Obed Nkosi township in Heidelberg, Gauteng, told GroundUp. “We are constantly inhaling the dreadful smell of our own faeces because there is no proper sewage system.”
Sekhoto has lived for two years in a three-storey block of RDP flats, one of 164 blocks with 12 units per block. The surrounding area is open veld covered in stagnant water and raw sewage. Toilet paper and other waste are strewn everywhere. All the residents we spoke to said it has been like this since 2023.
Resident Palesa Phakathi said she has sent her three children to live with their grandmother because of health concerns and the unbearable conditions. The children could not even play outside.
Resident Thandeka Halithuli describes the area as a dam of human faeces. She said they took photographs, formed a committee and wrote to the municipality.
The “dam of human faeces” in Obed Nkosi township.
The Lesedi Local Municipality’s Green Drop report score declined from 79% in 2021 to 73% in 2025, indicating a deterioration in its wastewater management. The Ratanda wastewater treatment plant is exceeding its design and available capacities, according to the report.
The sewage flows to Blesbokspruit and into the Suikerbosrand River, which flows into the Vaal River.
On Tuesday, the Vaal-Orange Catchment Management Agency gave notice of intention to issue a directive against the municipality after observing “untreated wastewater overflowing from sewer manholes” and “raw sewage” flowing into Blesbokpruit.
The municipality was given 14 days to submit a written plan outlining infrastructure improvements and corrective measures, and to appoint a qualified professional within 30 working days to compile a comprehensive environmental rehabilitation plan.
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Jack Bloom said he awaits a comprehensive report from his department to establish whether there is wilful non-compliance with directives that would justify a criminal charge.
Lesedi Local Municipality spokesperson Katleho Seaga said the [Tokolohong] outfall sewer pipeline was “experiencing constant operational failures” as a result of vandalism, theft and unsuitable material, such as cloth, bottles and animal hides, entering the system.
He said the municipality had conducted a “temporary fix”, but a full technical report and implementation plan to upgrade 2.6km of pipe had been sent to the Department of Water and Sanitation for the 2026/27 financial year.
Seaga said the contractor should start this month, first by establishing the site, recruiting local labour and appointing SMMEs.
The Vaal-Orange Catchment Management Agency has put the Lesedi Municipality on notice because of untreated wastewater overflowing from sewer manholes.
