Plea for ongoing sewage leak to be resolved

RESIDENTS living in the vicinity of the Marks Road taxi rank, opposite St Augustine’s Hospital, are at their wits’ end regarding a sewage leak which has been left unattended for more than four months.

St Augustine taxi association rank manager, Siyanda Zulu, said the odour emanating from the sewage leak is not healthy for those who are exposed to the smell.

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“We have a sewage leak problem and passengers are also complaining about the non-stop leak and awful smell in the area. I witnessed the sewage leak when it started and reported it so many times. It has been happening for four months. I have reported it to the eThekwini Municipality and the councillor’s office, but its still not fixed. This is not good, we can’t breathe fresh air anymore because of this issue, ” said Zulu.

A street vendor next to the taxi rank, Abongile Khakhama said the sewage leak needed urgent attention.

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“This issue needs serious intervention, I try and clean it after three days as the smell is bad. The air we inhale is not good especially for someone who is always next to this sewage,” he said.

Another resident, Nomfundo Mthethwa, who also runs a small tuck-shop on the road, said the leak has been flowing non-stop for months.

“This situation is getting worse every day. We can’t sell our goods properly, this smelly water is terrible, we need help,” she said.