General Albertspark resident at her wits’ end about continuous stench
According to Swart, there is a hole made under the Swartkoppies Bridge which pushes sewage from other areas to pass through the park.
Erika Swart has put her foot down after having to bear a terrible smell for at least three years.
After being taken from pillar to post, this General Albertspark resident has expressed her frustration caused by smelly sewage. The sewage is reportedly pumped through the park’s stormwater channel at the corner of Hibiscus Avenue and Swartkoppies Road weeks on end.
Not only does Swart view this as a health hazard, but the stench is unbearable.
“Any time after 6pm we cannot live with the stench. We cannot even have a meal at home because the smell is unbearable. I have sent many videos and photos regarding this to the metro and still they will find an excuse. The problem is that we have to live here,” she said.
According to Swart, there is a hole made under the Swartkoppies Bridge which pushes sewage from other areas to pass through the park.
“When other areas have sewage overflow, it gets pumped into the stormwater drain in our area. I had this same conversation three years ago with a City official. His team told us they were instructed to make the hole so other areas’ sewage can go through our park,” she said.
Swart recalled that in one incident her bath and shower were flooded with sewerage. This, according to Swart, was because of the sewage drain that had been blocked, which filled and went through all their holes inside her home.
She said: “I had our CPF here one evening and they told us they will not be able to live with this. “An official from the municipality was utterly rude when I went to see them and tried to get someone to come see what was happening. He said I must just do as I please and get petitions signed, they don’t care.”
CoE response
Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, spokesperson of the City of Ekurhuleni, told the RECORD they received Swart’s complaint in October 2019 and attended to the problem.
“We met with her on site and there were traces of sewage in the stormwater channel. We explained to her that any sewer blockage occurring in Randhart and even portions of Meyersdal will end up in the stormwater system and will flow down in this stormwater channel.”
However, he stated the times they had complained about the stench makes it very unlikely that this is the cause of it.
“On October 18, 2019, we cleaned the stormwater channel and disinfected it. We witnessed that there was no trace of sewage in the channel and even under the bridge before the petrol depot,” he said.
He said after that, Swart continued to complain about the stench, admitting that the polluted stormwater channel was not the cause of the stench. Cebekhulu also stated it is unacceptable for Swart to blame them once again.
The stench, according to Cebekhulu, may originate from other sources such as an unpleasant smell from neighbouring industries in the area.
“One possibility could be the one-pipe system installed in General Albertspark without gullies. This may cause sewage fumes to enter through their internal plumbing into the homes. This system is the cause of sewage entering their homes during mainline blockages,” he said.
