Raw sewage continues to flow down a street next to St Helena Primary School in Welkom, despite two court orders and repeated promises from Matjhabeng municipal officials to address the crisis.

The sewage stream runs past the school gate, creating health risks for pupils and preventing access to the Checkers Shopping Centre in St Helena from the Unicor Road side. The road is covered with bushes and branches, whilst potholes damage vehicles.

School pupils are forced to walk past streams of sewage running down the street next to their school gate, accompanied by strong odours and the possibility of infectious diseases. Sewage-flooded roads make it nearly impossible for pupils and pedestrians to cross safely, whilst homeowners are also affected.

In April 2025, the High Court found that Matjhabeng Municipality and Lejweleputswa District Municipality had failed to meet constitutional and statutory obligations to provide adequate sanitation at the St Helena Checkers site. In November 2025, the acting municipal manager of Matjhabeng and the municipal manager from Lejweleputswa appeared in court regarding the ongoing situation.

Despite the two court orders, the municipality has taken no action and shown no accountability.

At a mayoral imbizo held in Ward 33 in April this year, the municipality agreed that urgent intervention was needed. The director of infrastructure promised that work would begin in April 2026, but no action has been taken.

The Department of Water and Sanitation stated in a written reply dated 12 March 2025 that no progress had been made on the implementation of representations submitted by Matjhabeng Local Municipality in response to a notice of intention to issue a directive in terms of Section 19(3) of the National Water Act.

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Ward 33 councillor Coreen Malherbe has reported the matter to provincial authorities and requested an urgent intervention and site visit by provincial and government institutions.

The Democratic Alliance in Matjhabeng said it would continue to hold the municipality accountable to comply with the court orders. The party has submitted a motion and formal questions for the next council meeting to compel the municipality and executive mayor to account for the sewage crisis in St Helena and provide urgent intervention. The matter has been escalated to the Department of Water and Sanitation for immediate attention.

The sewage spill is exposing school pupils, residents and motorists to health and safety risks, whilst also damaging infrastructure, affecting local businesses and lowering the community’s quality of life.

The Checkers Shopping Centre in St Helena is inaccessible from the Unicor Road side due to overgrown bushes and branches preventing traffic from entering.

The crisis, driven by ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance and failing management, poses health risks and affects residents and businesses that use the shopping centre.

The Democratic Alliance said a third court order, including personal liability for responsible municipal officials, may be required to force immediate corrective action.

The Matjhabeng mayor, the acting municipal manager and the infrastructure directors have not responded to requests for comment.