SASSA Pensioners Forego Their Income To Fix Overflowing Metro Sewers
SASSA Pensioners Forego Their Income To Fix Overflowing Metro Sewers. South Africa elderly citizens continue to suffer the consequences of collapsing municipal services, with the most recent example emerging from Mamelodi West, where SASSA pensioners were forced to dip into their meagre social grants to fix an overflowing sewer system. The case reveals the dire state of municipal service delivery and the growing neglect of low income communities across the City of Tshwane.
In this in-depth article, we examine the plight of the Kgopane family and their neighbours, highlight the health hazards they faced, and expose how failing infrastructure and poor governance are threatening the dignity of the country’s most vulnerable residents.
A Week of Sewage and Suffering
In early May 2025, an elderly couple, Dimakatso and Kgomotso Kgopane, both SASSA pensioners residing in Section A of Mamelodi West, found themselves prisoners in their own home. Their yard was filled with raw sewage due to a blocked municipal sewer that the City of Tshwane failed to fix.
Despite multiple reports to the local municipality on Monday and Tuesday, the couple was repeatedly told that the “system was down” and that municipal workers would be dispatched a promise that was never fulfilled. Trapped inside their flooded property for over a week, the family, including their daughter and nine-year-old grandson (later diagnosed with bronchitis), had no option but to live with the pungent smell and health risks.
Failed Municipality
This incident is not isolated. The Kgopanes’ experience reveals a wider pattern of municipal neglect affecting communities throughout Mamelodi and other parts of Tshwane.
“We are paying for municipal services with our social grant income, but we don’t get those services,”
said Dimakatso Kgopane, expressing both frustration and disbelief.
The family visited the municipal offices several times, only to be met with rude officials and no effective action. The overwhelming stench, combined with stagnant sewage, created a serious health hazard especially for vulnerable groups like children and pensioners.
Pensioners Forced to Pay for Public Services
The most heartbreaking part of the story is the reality that pensioners, who rely on their SASSA old age grants, were forced to hire a private plumber to do a job that the municipality is legally obligated to perform.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Service | Responsible Party | Actual Cost to Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Sewer maintenance | Tshwane Municipality | R0 (Public service obligation) |
| Private plumber hired | Residents themselves | R600 |
| Personal protective gear | Residents themselves | Estimated R150–R300 |
This money which should be used for food, medication, and transport was instead spent trying to survive in inhumane conditions caused by municipal incompetence.
Health Hazards from Sewer Overflow
Living in a yard flooded with raw sewage for a week had dire health implications. The nine-year-old child in the household was later diagnosed with bronchitis, a condition exacerbated by inhalation of toxic fumes from untreated waste.
Raw sewage contains a dangerous mix of pathogens and bacteria, including E. coli and other disease-causing organisms. Prolonged exposure can lead to:
- Respiratory infections
- Skin rashes
- Eye irritation
- Gastrointestinal diseases
- Long-term lung issues in children
Businesses and Rental Properties Also Suffer
In nearby Mamelodi East Phase 3, a similar situation unfolded just weeks earlier. There, raw sewage flowed down Mmorwa Street for nearly a month. The continuous spill affected both business owners and tenants.
Sakhile Molambo Mashaba, who sells fruit and vegetables on a street corner, reported a sharp decline in business due to the unbearable smell and fly infestations.
“The sewage system has been overflowing for over four weeks. Our health is at risk, and everyone is coughing non stop from inhaling the fumes,” Mashaba said.
The area turned into a public health disaster zone. Tenants moved out, citing intolerable conditions, while local children began falling ill. Yet again, the municipality failed to act, leaving residents and small businesses to fend for themselves.
Municipal Apathy
Despite numerous complaints, the Tshwane Metro did not respond to Rekord’s enquiries. The silence from the authorities speaks volumes about the lack of accountability and transparency within local government structures.
This failure of governance leaves residents many of whom live on social grants to pay out of pocket to restore basic services like sewerage. This is in direct violation of South Africa’s Constitution, which guarantees the right to a clean and healthy environment under Section 24.
The Real Cost of Neglect
The financial burden of fixing municipal failures has been unfairly shifted to the shoulders of the poor, the elderly, and the sick. Below is a summary of the true costs:
| Impact Area | Effect on Residents |
|---|---|
| Financial | R600–R1000 in private plumbing and PPE expenses |
| Health | Bronchitis, respiratory issues, infections |
| Safety | Inaccessible home due to flooding |
| Business | Decrease in customer footfall, loss of income |
| Mental well-being | Stress, anxiety, and trauma from municipal neglect |
Call to Action
The SASSA pensioners plight is a wake-up call for authorities and civil society alike. Citizens cannot continue to suffer due to poor infrastructure maintenance, lack of urgency from municipalities, and inadequate health and sanitation responses.
What can be done:
- Municipalities must implement 24/7 response teams for sewer blockages in vulnerable areas.
- The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) should investigate the failure of service delivery in Mamelodi.
- Civil society organisations and legal aid clinics must assist affected residents in filing formal complaints or class-action lawsuits.
- Media coverage and digital platforms should amplify such cases to force accountability.
Conclusion
This incident is not just about a blocked sewer; it is about systemic failure, disregard for human dignity, and the financial abuse of pensioners who are supposed to be protected, not burdened. It represents everything that is going wrong in local governance and service delivery in many parts of South Africa today.
