Ward councillor, Clr Heather Hart, raised concerns about the sewage leaks and spills in Edenvale.
She said that in the past, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) would attend to sewage leaks within a few hours, however it has now increased to a few days and even weeks after a complaint is logged.
“Sewage leaks and spills have reached critical levels in the Edenvale area, with poor response times from the EMM,” said Clr Hart.
She believes part of the problem is the municipality’s call centre and the systems used to route calls.
“Call centre operators simply refer complaints to service providers and then log that the matter has been closed, with no follow up being conducted on whether the matter has actually been attended to or not,” said Clr Hart.
She said a sewerage blockage resulting in a manhole overflowing on Alec Road, in Isandovale, has also been reported to the call centre weeks ago.
“I escalated the problem with the municipality last week but still no action has been taken. As a result, it is increasing the amount of sewage flowing into the Modderfontein Spruit. We have repeatedly asked the EMM manager, Mr Khaya Ngema, to intervene in this project and to ensure the Bid Adjudication Committee appoints a contractor as a matter of urgency,” she said.
“I will now be lodging a complaint with the South Africa Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on the contamination of the Modderfontein Spruit and the lack of action from the municipality to resolve this situation. It is critical that the SAHRC investigates this matter and ensure the EMM properly maintains the sewerage infrastructure in the area, so that future spills are prevented,” said Clr Hart.
The NEWS sent a request for comment to the EMM on September 15 and requested comment by September 17.
At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
