With almost monotonous regularity, we write about the sewage spills plaguing many parts of the city, mainly the northern areas and townships, making residents’ lives unbearable.
It is not only the unsightly mess covering their yards or streets, and in some cases seeping into their homes, but also the ghastly, ever-present stench that clings to everything.
No-one can, or should ever, have to live like this.
Two weeks ago, it was sewage running in the streets of Nomakanjeni because the pit latrines were overflowing.
In Gelvandale a month ago, raw sewage was gushing out of a manhole in Pienaar Street, a long-standing issue the residents have reported about time and again with no permanent solution.
Today, we report on residents in Timothy Valley in Bethelsdorp who are knee-deep in sewage.
Some of them have dug trenches in an attempt to divert the wastewater from their yards, with the unhealthy mass pooling around their homes allegedly resulting in people and their pets falling ill at an alarming rate.
The problem has apparently been going on for years.
Community leader Allen Snowman said officials had indicated that old sewage pipes needed to be replaced as they had not been fitted properly when the urban settlement was established nearly 30 years ago.
This caused drains to become clogged and unable to flush away wastewater.
“Officials promised three weeks ago to attend to the issue, but to no avail,” a dejected Snowman said.
“We’re [appealing] to the municipality to ... finally resolve this issue.”
However, municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya put the ongoing sewage spills in the area down to vandalism, theft and suspected sabotage.
He also highlighted that foreign objects, such as nappies and rubble, were dumped down the manholes, causing blockages in the sewerage system.
“In Lingelihle Street, specifically, our sewer line does not have manhole covers. They have been stolen.
“We replace infrastructure swiftly, but within a day or so the material is stolen again.”
He said a municipal team had been sent to Timothy Valley on Friday to tackle the problem.
Permanently sorting out the issue is a two-way street.
It is the responsibility of the municipality to fix the problems the minute they arise — which it too often fails to do — and it is up to the residents to ensure that the infrastructure is not damaged again by theft, vandalism and misuse.
It is pointless, and costly, to fix something today only to be faced by the same problem a day or two later because of blockages and spills caused by illegal dumping or theft of the infrastructure.
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