Limpopo’s Thulamela Local Municipality has fixed a burst sewer pipe that sent putrid sewage spilling onto Thohoyandou city streets for about a week, but residents say they want to know why repairs took so long.

Routine testing has revealed that local rivers are already contaminated with sewage due to poor water management, according to a 2014/5 Integrated Development Plan Review report. (File photo)

On Friday, OurHealth reported that a burst sewer pipe in downtown Thohoyandou had spewed sewage onto the city’s street for about a week. The spill forced some businesses to close their doors while other local businesses struggled to attract customers because of the stench.

Thulamela Local Municipality Spokesperson Ndwamato Tshiila had previously said that the municipality was aware of the burst sewer pipe but was still trying to locate the problem.

By Sunday, local government had fixed the pipe, which lay only a few kilometres from the municipality’s offices.

Vegetable hawker Joyce Tshithavhane welcomed news of pipe’s repair.

“Thank God the sewage has been fixed,” said Tshithavhane, who previously lost customers due to the spill. “On Monday, I will be able to go back to work, but I have lost a lot of money since last week due to the burst (pipe).”

Local clothing shop owner Mohammad Naidoo said he was also looking at re-opening his clothing store after being forced to close during the spill.

However, Thohoyandou resident Peter Sithole said he still wanted to know why it took almost a week to repair the pipe.

“I still fail to understand why they (municipality) took over a week to fix a broken pipe, which was supposed to have only taken a few hours of their time, ” he told OurHealth.