Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tembisa South notes the City of Ekurhuleni’s confirmation that bulk sewerage upgrade projects are underway in Tembisa, following years of persistent sewer overflows that have severely impacted the residents’ dignity, health, and quality of life. We call for the urgent acceleration of this project, along with clear timelines and transparent reporting, to ensure that the upgrades are completed efficiently and deliver lasting solutions rather than temporary fixes.
Official municipal records indicate that there were 4,227 sewerage complaints in the 2024/25 financial year and 3,499 complaints in the 2023/24 financial year. These figures exclude incidents reported via social media and community channels, suggesting that the scale of the crisis is even greater.
For far too long, families in Tembisa have endured raw sewerage bubbling into bathtubs, flowing through yards, and spilling onto streets where children play. This is not merely a breakdown in infrastructure but poor governance that has left residents exposed to serious health and environmental risks.
See the photos here, here, here, here and the videos here and here.
The city has revealed that two major bulk sewer projects — the Tembisa X25 Outfall Sewer Upgrade and the Tembisa Sewer (Tembisa 1) Project—are being implemented as part of a multi-year programme scheduled to run until 2028. The city has also admitted that current budgets are inadequate and that implementation will occur in phases. However, this should not serve as an excuse for this long-overdue project to fall further behind schedule.
A caring, DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would have prioritised the upgrading of sewerage infrastructure to secure the dignity and well‑being of the people of Tembisa, as it has done in the Midvaal, where oversight and accountability have delivered tangible results and shown that a clean, safe, and dignified environment can be the standard rather than an exception.