Living in filth for 10 years
Sake Kgaphola and his neighbors have been living under a constant stream of sewage for more than ten years.
Langaville – Sake Kgaphola and his neighbours have been living near a constant stream of sewage for more than ten years.
Sarah Magubane says she moved to Langaville Extension Seven in 1998 and has had trouble with the main station in her yard since.
Kgaphola and Magubane are next door neighbours and say they do not understand why there are so many sewage stations around them.
“There are about six stations within a 100m radius,” explains Kgaphola.
The two allege the stations overflow every few days, leaving their yards engulfed in a disgusting smell.
“My children have been sick so many times. We are told that exposure to this sewage could be the main culprit.”
They claim they have laid numerous complaints with the municipality, but no permanent solution has been forthcoming.
Magubane admits that the metro sends people out every time they call, but the drains are usually blocked again within 24 hours.
“The problem is serious but they just fix it slapdash to shut us up.
It is not fair to anyone to live in such filth.”
She says their families have resorted to keeping the windows closed, even when it is hot, in attempts to keep the stench outside the house.
“To make matters worse, the storm water drain that we had outside was closed when they tarred the road,” says Kgaphola.
As a result, the neighbours say the sewage waste has nowhere to go when it seeps out from under their fences.
“If we don’t make a plan, the water just puddles up for days until it dries up.”
Themba Gabede, spokesperson of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality says that the sewer pipe that passes though these stands starts all the way from Ekhaya Shopping Centre some 100 meters away.
“Although the problem cannot be traced back to the 1998 technicians, we are certain that the problem is made worse by the amount of fat and foreign objects we find in the manholes when we try to unblock pipes.
“The centre manager will be contacted about shops dispensing fat in the sewer pipe. Hopefully they will be installing fat traps in their system.
“The City of Ekurhuleni has identified the pipeline for regular cleaning and will use its high pressure jetting machine.
“Technicians hope this will minimise the number of blockages affecting the two stands.”
