The situation is so dire that the majority of streets in the area were covered with faecal matter when a Fourways Review news team visited over the weekend.
The visit was a follow-up to a story accompanied by graphic pictures we published last week when this paper was taken on a tour of the area by DA public relations councillor, Refilwe Mathebula.
Nothing seems to have changed from the time we reported on the issue. Instead, it is threatening to flood the whole of Ext 6 as the old sewerage pipes appear to have given in to old age and the high volume of sewage resulting from the ever-expanding population in the township.
Residents said they have been living with faecal matter on their doorsteps since the beginning of the year. They were seen walking through the streets and jumping over the smelly water. Children, who are oblivious to the health hazards, were seen stepping through the muck.
One elderly resident who identified herself as Maria said Joburg Water in Ext 2 told her that there was no machine to clean up the mess.
“I went to Ext 2 here in Diepsloot to report this mess, but they just said there is no machine to use,” said Maria.
Another resident, who declined to be identified, said: “This is just not on and can you imagine, we have been living like this since February.”
Mathebula expressed shock that council officials were literally abandoning Diepsloot by not being proactive in the township.
“They should have told Maria when the machine will be available and they can’t just say we have no machine and end there,” said Mathebula.
Joburg Water spokeswoman Millicent Kabwe said she needed a reference number in order to track the issue. Kabwe said Diepsloot was too large and she was in the dark about the exact location of where the pipes were bursting. “Diepsloot is big, please be specific, and if it was reported please give us the reference number,” said Kabwe.
Maria said she was not given a reference number when she went to report the case.
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