Video
GRAAFF-REINET NEWS AND VIDEO - The stench in Middle Street caused by a problematic sewage pump station near the local correctional facility has been in the air for over 14-years and residents from Cyprus Grove cannot endure it anymore.
The owner of a local guesthouse said she's been living in the area for 14-years and the stench has always been present.
These residents have been complaining to the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality but said their calls and e-mails are now being ignored.
These residents are up in arms as the stench has a negative impact on property value and that businesses are suffering huge losses.
One of the residents, Roland Calitz recently wrote an open letter to the municipal manager, dr. Eddie Rankwana, complaining about the stench.
The letter was published in the Advertiser on 26 July 2018.
“The smell is pervasive, entering almost every home in Cyprus Grove like an unwelcome visitor. I can only imagine how this reek must influence the inmates in the prison. We are forced to endure this,” Calitz said in his letter.
Calitz continues by saying he assumes the municipality, despite the presence of a city engineer, does not possess the necessary skill to address the issue.
Rankwana said in his response that a service provider has been appointed to ensure specialised repair and maintenance of pumps and motors.
At the time Rankwana also said the municipality is in the process with an investigation of possible relocation, planning and design to rehabilitate and expanding sewerage pump stations in Graaff-Reinet.
Recent enquiries to Rankwana’s office remain unanswered.
These residents are now seeking legal advice in an attempt to resolve their dilemma.
Watch a video below.
The raw sewage in Middle Street has now also formed into a flowing river.
'We bring you the latest Graaff-Reinet, Karoo news'
