ALBERTON- Driving along Jim Fouché Road, in Verwoerpark, is a smelly and unpleasant affair as sewage runs into the street creating a dam in front of house number 16.
Mr Chris van Zyl, who has been living in the house for many years, says the leaking sewage has been ongoing for many years now. A couple of years ago, it used to leak from the manhole in front Chris’s property but the council fixed it. However, the sewage now spews from a pipe in number 15’s garden, running down the drive way and forming a pool in the street in front of Chris’s house. The smell is quite disgusting and overwhelming.
Atholl Kirk, from number 19, says they have complained many times over the years. “These days, They don’t even answer the phones anymore when I phone so I don’t bother complaining. We can’t smell the roses these days” he said with a wry smile.
“The sewerage pipe has been broken for years and the council doesn’t fix it. This overflow now happens about approximately once a month.” Atholl is concerned about the affect the sewage leak will have on water quality.
Chris also told the RECORD that EMM workers came out on Tuesday and Wednesday. On both days they worked for a couple of minutes and then left. “This is definitely not solving the problem and is just a superficial and short term solution. On Wednesday these people could not have even been back at their offices when we sat with the same problem again.”
Ward councillor Bruna Haipel told the RECORD that the contractor’s work is not up to standard and she presented the RECORD with names and contact details of people who will be able to assist, should the problem persist.
The RECORD forwarded the complaint to Haipel’s ‘contacts’ and is awaiting comment.
