Life is a living hell for Alveida Park workers and residents who are forced to work and live next to the unbearable stink of a sewage spill.
The sewage flows from the R82 units to the Kliprivierberg Nature Reserve. According to residents, the City occasionally comes to repair the cause of the spill, but the problem returns after two weeks.
Fanie Viljoen often passes the area and said he has been following up on the problem since July last year, but nothing has been resolved.
“I believe it started before I began investigating this matter, and I told myself that enough was enough because the stench was unbearable. I have complained about this issue to the appropriate people but have not received any response.
“This is completely absurd. It is raw sewage that flows into the Kliprivierberg Nature Reserve across the street. It must affect the residents. I drive past here twice a day with my kids before dropping them off and picking them up from school, and when you get to the traffic lights just before this sewage, you have to close the windows because the smell is terrible.
“There are some businesses here as well, and I’m not sure how they manage with the school nearby. Something must be done,” said Viljoen.
He explained that despite many public complaints, nothing has changed.
According to Vumile Tshabalala, one of the businesswomen in the area, the smell negatively affects trade. This makes life difficult because, as the primary provider for her family, she relies on her business for income.
“My husband is not working, and if I stop working, how will we manage at home? This issue needs to be resolved because I am suffering, and it has been an issue for a long time. I believe it started two to three years ago, and I have been here for seven years.
“I sell food, and in the years before the smell, my business thrived. People who used to support me stopped coming after the smell started. This hurt me because I have operated this business here for many years. This needs to stop, and because of this smell, we always leave here with headaches and sinus issues,“ said Tshabalala.
The Comaro Chronicle contacted the City of Johannesburg via email and phone but still awaits their response.
