SOMETHING stinks at the Richards Bay golf course – and it literally has done for years.
Officials from the provincial Department of Water Affairs (DWA) inspected the amenity on Thursday to investigate complaints of ongoing spillage of raw sewage onto the ninth fairway and into the natural environment.
Understood to be linked to the inability of the sewage pipeline and pumps to handle the amount of effluent being carried, sewage regularly flows from a manhole on the fairway and spills onto the course.
Some years ago, in an effort to rectify the problem, the municipality diverted the overflow by laying an underground pipe from the manhole and into a wetland stream adjacent to the fairway.
The stream meanders into Lake Mzingazi, source of the city’s fresh water drinking supply.
The Zululand Observer accompanied the DWA officials on their site visit, and while they were not prepared to comment until their investigation is completed, they were appalled at what they witnessed and deemed it as ‘totally unacceptable’.
Besides odour issues, there is an obvious health hazard and golfers often have to wade through the filth to play their next shot.
Increased pressure is being put on the antiquated, overloaded sewage reticulation system as the Mzingazi Golf Estate grows and plans are afoot to link the system to nearby Mzingazi suburb.
