KNYSNA NEWS - Residents of Concordia are up in arms after a municipal truck allegedly dumped human waste in an open space in a residential area. They say since the incident they have had a problem with fleas, mosquitoes and an unbearable smell and that this is not the first time this has happened.
Resident Nom-funeko Yam said the first time was on 19 December last year. "We thought maybe this was a mistake but clearly it wasn't because they did it again.
"We can't open windows in our homes because of the horrific smell or eat because of the smell.
"Why the municipality is feeding us sh*t is beyond me. We never had these problems when Molosi was still alive."
The second time was on 23 January and, according to residents, shortly after they dumped the excrement, they came back and covered it with whitewash.
Another resident, Xolelwa Ngxwashula, who took pictures of the truck after the sewage was dumped as well as when it came back to cover it with whitewash, said, "We know who the driver is, he has been working with the municipality for over 15 years so he knows that is not where they dump sewage. I also took the registration number. We reported the matter to our ward councillor Thando Matika and he promised to follow it up." Matika confirmed this.
Another resident, Mzwandile Stemela, said over 20 households in the area were affected by the smell, "We are using four flycatchers a day, that is how bad it is. We have dogs who go and play and/or eat in the area and come back to our homes to play with our children. Has anyone considered how this might affect our health?"
The area was later covered by whitewash.
Knysna Municipality responded to the allegations as follows: "The acting municipal manager has requested a full incident report from the relevant officials, whereafter he will take appropriate action once all the facts have been established. We wish to assure the complainant that this is not usual municipal practice and we apologise for the inconvenience. Rest assured that the matter is viewed seriously."
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
