Council’s no-show frustrates resident

FOLLOWING his numerous attempts to have the sewage spillage flowing into his property sorted out, a Glenwood resident says he is now frustrated with the council’s lack of commitment and urgency in resolving the issue, which he now fears poses a health concern. Arnold Johnston who is a retired Engineer for the council, says the sewage spillage flowing into his property, is due to by a blockage in the Durban Council’s mainline is now becoming a health hazard.

The retired Engineer said “I reported a problem with the overflowing of sewage into my property in July 2015 and after about three months of waiting, they eventually sent a contractor to resolve the problem. They dug almost 3 meters deep bordering on my boundary and my neighbor’s boundary, to resolve the problem. Prior to that, numerous Council employees came to my premises and attempted to water jet the main sewer line. They relaid portion of the sewer main and it seemed to resolve the problem, however in early December of that year during a rain storm, the problem started again, this time far worse than before.”

“They sent another Contractor on the 16th of December that year and after taking a look, the contractor said that it was our problem. He also again, tried to water jet, but without success. I had to persuade the leader of the contracting team to have a thorough look and after that we found the fault. The contracting team confirmed that it was Durban Council’s problem as their main line was blocked. He reported back to the Council and I have since also sent several emails, to Ednick Msweli (Head of Water & Waste), called his office several times and spoken to his secretary Sanele and also Lele, secretary to Sibusiso Vilane ( Head of Sanitation), as well as Carron Dove, of the Mayor’s Office, all without any success,” Johnston said.

However, the municipality disputes Johnston’s claims and said numerous attempts to contact him were made without any success but the matter will be resolved.

“As a caring City, eThekwini Municipality has a dedicated team of staff members who strive to provide superior service to all City residents. Service delivery remains our key priority. The relevant Unit has made numerous attempts to contact the complainant without success. A team from the relevant Unit will address the matter directly with the resident,” the city said.

“We are asked to save water, but every-time the sewage spills over, i have to use water to wash away the stench caused by the sewage, tell me how am i suppose to do that,” asked Johnston.