Metro blames load-shedding on deteriorating state of council flats
“Any complaints received from the housing facility is investigated and repaired by teams from the relevant departments.”
Sewage spills, non-flushing toilets and dry taps at Pauline Davis Court, Harpur Avenue, are a result of load-shedding.
This is according to Ekurhuleni Metro’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini.
The City Times reported in April that the 160 elderly residents of the council-owned flats have been battling the stench of raw sewage flooding the property, leaving the dedicated laundry room inaccessible due to damming effluent for the past nine months.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, who are SASSA pensioners, Debbie dos Reis said residents living on the third floor of the building do not have access to running water.
“Residents have to lug buckets of water up dimly lit stairs and rickety fire escapes up to six times a day. This is a gross violation of their human rights,” she said.
In a statement, Dlamini said that the building, property and amenities are inspected daily by a housing liaison officer as well as the maintenance supervisor.
“The sewer blockage which is being referred to, has been due to challenges experienced at the sewer pump station in Tom Jones Street,” said Dlamini.
“Load-shedding has been the main contributing factor, resulting in the lines from the flats pushing up through the manholes when the pump station is offline due to extended and regular power outages.”
He said that on April 13 and 17 repair work was completed on a burst main pipe, on Cecil Jackson Road.
“On April 28, another burst main pipeline inside the ERWAT Benoni wastewater treatment works was reported but repairs could only be completed on May 3,” he said.
“The delay in repairs was due to the correct fittings only being received after the long weekend. The station is currently operational and the pumps are running.”
Responding to claims that several units located on the building’s top floors have also not had running water since July, Dlamini claimed that a burst pipe, further resulting in leaks on Rand Water’s supply line on March 15, may have contributed to taps running dry.
“A large part of Benoni was affected by the unscheduled interruption in water supply but all services were restored the following day,” said Dlamini.
“Multi-storey buildings such as Pauline Davis Court should be fitted with in-house internal pumps to facilitate adequate water supply and pressure to higher floors.”
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