Health hazard looms in Maphisa

One of the toilets is blocked and the other was destroyed by a recent hailstorm.
The development has seen more than 40 residents who were using the toilets resorting to using the bush to relieve themselves.
The residents also fetch water from a canal that is used by farmers to irrigate their crops at a nearby irrigation scheme run by the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (Arda).
Speaking to Chronicle on Friday residents of the housing project said the living conditions were difficult and called for swift intervention by the Matobo Rural District Council.
“We want the council to connect these houses to water and sewer reticulation systems. There is only one resident who has water after she paid for the connection,” Mr Thulani Ncube, one of the residents, said.
He said work on repairing one of the toilets was underway and residents had no option but to resort to using the nearby bush to relieve themselves until the work was complete.
“We have tried to fix the toilet that was destroyed by the storm. In the meantime we are using the nearby bush for a toilet,” said Mr Ncube.
Another resident, Mr Francis Ndlovu, said the main water pipeline was a few metres from the houses so connecting them to the water reticulation system was not that expensive.
“The main line is just a few metres away and I do not know why council is taking all this time to connect us,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said residents were forced to fetch water from irrigation canals which was not safe for drinking. He said there were fears of an outbreak of water-borne diseases in the area.
Mr Ndlovu said a few families that had money were buying water from one of the residents connected to the water reticulation system. He said the woman was selling the water for five rand per 20-litre bucket.
“We buy water from her and she is right to sell the water because she paid for the connection,” he said.
His neighbour, Mr Vusa Ncube, said what worsened the plight of residents was that despite the fact that the houses were not connected to water, the rentals they were made to pay were too high.
“Our rentals range from 100 to 150 rand a month. Most of us at Hlalani-Kuhle are tenants. If you do not pay rent to the landlords on time you will find yourself in trouble. They just give you two days’ notice and you will find your property outside,” he said.