LIMPOPO – Despite the fact that the Vhembe District Municipality repaired a broken sewage pipe which had been leaking for a number of days around the Thohoyandou CBD, residents who had been negatively affected by the leaking sewage pipe are still bitter over the time it took for municipal workers to repair the leak.

The spillage clearly didn’t go unnoticed in the CBD.

“It was so humiliating having to walk in human excrement, but I had no choice as I have to cross that road daily in order to get to work. I arrived at work with my shoes smelling,” said Mashudu Mudau, who works at a shop in the CBD.

“I do not know why it took so long for the municipality to repair the pipe.”

The burst pipe occurred just outside the local hotel, a densely travelled area in town, leaving pedestrians with no other choice but to put up with the sight and smell of human excrement.

This is the second sewage pipe to be reported broken in and around the Thohoyandou shopping complex in the space of two months.

The Vhembe District Municipality spokesperson, Matodzi Ralushai, said the delay in repairs was often the result of technical red tape.

Ralushai said they needed to follow protocol and work around the red tape before they can address social issues and commence repairs.

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