Contractors have been busy at a site in Onyx Drive since February to repair a damaged sewage pipe that has led to various problems in the area during the past years. Although the project was supposed to have been completed at the end of May, they are still busy and a part of the road is still closed.
Last week, huge sewage leaks occurred again in South Street, and several yards were flooded.
One of the affected residents, Mr Shane Pieterse, had to cut his holiday in KwaZulu-Natal short to rush back home.
He saw on the security cameras in his yard that it was flooded and tried in vain to get help or feedback from the Merafong City Local Municipality on when the problem would be resolved.
“Just look at this. We are taught at work how dangerous sewage is, but now my backyard is covered with it, and there is nothing I can do. I planned to have people come to visit now during the holiday, but with the situation as it is now, I had to cancel it. I do not even know how I will get my car into my garage,” he complained.
Other residents of the same area also had similar complaints and pointed to the huge stream of sewage flowing down South Street.
“This is really unhealthy and there are old people who also stay here,” one passer-by mentioned.
“I am very unhappy about what happened, and in the end had to clean up the yard myself. What makes me the most upset is that no one from the municipality, including Mr Gerhard Dirker, who I phoned many times, communicated with us over this whole matter. Even the fire chief and West Rand health officer visited us. There were also no clean-up crew who visited us,” says Pieterse.
As far as could be determined, the problem was caused by stones in the sewer line. However, no answers were forthcoming from the municipality. The municipality also did not say when, in fact, the project would be completed.
