News24 | Pupils forced to wade through polluted river as Emfuleni bridge lies unfinished 24 years on

Some pupils in the Vaal are being forced to navigate a hazardous, stinking river because the local municipality failed to build a bridge it had promised.

Parents complain that the incomplete project has left their children stranded while elected leaders live comfortably just metres away.

The abandoned bridge on West Road, linking Small Farm and Evaton, was part of a broader project to rehabilitate the entire road. It remains one of many incomplete ventures in the embattled Emfuleni Local Municipality.

The project was halted more than two decades ago, forcing children to develop survival skills to cross the polluted Rietspruit River.

In stark contrast, the tarred portion of the road begins at the entrance of the Evaton Cemetery and ends just three houses away from the home of Emfuleni Speaker Sibongile Soxuza.

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Several residents claimed that Soxuza travelled on tarred roads, while her neighbours had to traverse the risky, untarred section. Just steps from where the tar ends, the road has been turned into an illegal dumping site.

Soxuza told News24 that the project had been abandoned in 2000, adding: “I wish to advise that I only became a councillor in 2011.”

However, she did not address why the bridge project remained incomplete throughout her tenure.

Every day, groups of pupils walk in lines through heaps of rubbish and thick bush to cross the river.

Community member Sibongile Mthimkhulu expressed her frustration about the lack of political accountability.

“That beautiful house belongs to our councillor, who is also the Speaker. She promised us heaven and earth five years ago, pleading for our votes,” Mthimkhulu said.

She noted that Soxuza was recently selected as the ANC’s councillor-elect for another term, alleging that the politician relied on food parcels rather than delivering actual services.

A street away from the Speaker’s house, large mounds of rubbish sit on a dusty football field.

Another resident, Sphiwe Mtshali, alleged that community members were only deemed important during election seasons.

“She doesn’t deserve to be a councillor. There are no services in our area. That bridge is not accessible at night. Apart from the stench, people are being robbed there,” Mtshali said.

Tiisetso Nhlapo shared similar concerns regarding pupil safety, noting that the bridge floods during the rainy season, forcing children to walk massive distances to reach school.

Pensioner Keke Mokoena, whose home is inaccessible by vehicle due to the road cond