Photographic Investigation Captures Reality of Life with Recurring Sewage in Katlehong

A photographic investigation by Simphiwe Fuwe Molefe is shedding light on the everyday reality of living with recurring sewage in Katlehong, South Africa. The project, titled "The Smell That Greets Me", captures the impact of failing public services on the lives of residents in the township. Molefe's photographs document the environment as an everyday landscape, rather than a single incident, highlighting the persistence of sewage in residential spaces.

The issue of service delivery was a major concern in the recent local government elections in South Africa, with communities across the country expressing dissatisfaction with the state of public services. In Katlehong, residents have grown accustomed to living alongside sewage, with some areas going without water for almost a year and uncollected waste a regular occurrence. The Mail & Guardian team found that these conditions have become part of everyday life for people who live, work, and raise their families in these environments.

Molefe's photographs move beyond documenting blocked drains and overflowing sewage, instead asking what happens when the failure of a basic public service becomes so persistent that it is absorbed into ordinary life. His work considers how infrastructure is experienced not only through physical conditions but through smell, discomfort, movement, memory, and the feeling of one's own home being affected by something beyond one's control. The project aims to look beyond the sewage and towards the people whose lives have been shaped by its continued presence.

The photographer notes that in his community, blocked sewage has become a recurring part of daily life, with the problem repeatedly addressed yet returning again. The presence of sewage is not confined to public spaces, but enters people's homes, their routines, and their memories, becoming an unwelcome presence in places where they should feel most comfortable. Molefe's photographs capture the domestic surroundings and animals interacting with contaminated water, fragments of a larger story about infrastructure and lived experience.

Conversations with the municipality point to many challenges, including overcrowding in townships and communication barriers between residents and local government. However, beyond the explanations and promises of intervention is the reality of those who have to live with these conditions long after the officials have left. The project asks us to consider what it means to grow accustomed to something that should never have been part of your everyday environment.

Molefe's work is both a document of a specific place and an observation of a wider condition, the ways in which people adapt to environments shaped by systems that are meant to serve them. The photographs provide a glimpse into the lives of residents who have been shaped by the continued presence of sewage, highlighting the need for improved public services and infrastructure.

The project serves as a reminder of the importance of basic public services and the impact of their failure on communities. As the country continues to grapple with service delivery issues, Molefe's photographs provide a powerful visual narrative of the reality of life with recurring sewage in Katlehong, and the need for change.

Key points

• The photographic investigation "The Smell That Greets Me" captures the everyday reality of living with recurring sewage in Katlehong, South Africa.
• The project aims to look beyond the sewage and towards the people whose lives have been shaped by its continued presence.
• The photographs provide a glimpse into the lives of residents who have been shaped by the continued presence of sewage, highlighting the need for improved public services and infrastructure.