Kathorus Mail received a complaint from frustrated community members of Katlehong, Basothong Section, citing unbearable living conditions in the area.
The streets of Basothong and private homes are filled with a large amount of sewage waste flowing down the majority of the streets. Other streets have sewage water stuck in the middle of the road.
The colour of the water is changing to black, causing a horrible smell which community members referred to as a health hazard.
The Tofile family is one of the many affected families in the community. Samson Tofile (57) said they have been exposed to sewage waste for over four weeks.
According to Tofile, the water was all over their front yard.
“We had to monitor the children to ensure that they do not play in the water. We have a stroke survivor living on the property, but her health has worsened the past weeks,” he explained.
“It is terrible because when we are sitting inside the house we can’t even open windows or the door. We then invite flies and the horrible smell into our home. It is only getting better now because the sewage water is drying out,’’ said Tofile.
Gogo Anna Motaung (78) said she endured years of suffering and empty promises from the local councillors and the City of Ekurhuleni.
She said she has been attending meetings for years but nothing has been done to help them when it comes to service delivery, adding that she grew old without seeing any results.
“My house is developing cracks on the wall because most of the time it is engulfed by water from the drain. I was promised that the house will be renovated and the old asbestos roof will be removed but none of those promises were kept,” said Motaung.
“We spoke to the councillors about this. They promised me that they will come to address it but they never do. The situation has worsened because now the entire Basothong Section is affected,” she said.
Stompie Maxadika (66) lived her entire life in Basothong. She said the sewage blockage is a continuous problem.
“On top of Covid-19 we also have to deal with such issues,” said Maxadika.
“Hygiene should be prioritised because there are children who come in direct contact with the waste coming out of the drain, she added.
“We are scared that these children will get sick. I am so worried about the third wave because I have lung problems and now I am stuck in this unbearable situation,” said Maxadika.
Ward 64 Clr Desmond Sabe said based on the report in his possession, the previous councillor started dealing with the issue in 2008.
“The report that I have says the area is dolomitic and it has sinkholes. Ingwe, Konyane, Maronyane and Mphye street have been affected.
“I don’t know what measures were taken before I was appointed, but I do know that there were at least six houses that were rebuilt by the municipality. I understand there were about 69 stands that were affected,” said Sabe.
“I am not sure about the information that I am about to share. Among the stories I have heard was that municipality proposed to provide people with an offer to remove and place them elsewhere, but I do not want to dwell much on that because the information is not verified,” he continued.
“There is also a particular stand on top of an intersection of sewer lines if I am not mistaken.
“The owner of the house has built backrooms on top of the sewer lines of the municipality without applying for the planning. The owner of the house was made aware that he is affecting the whole community. When the municipality has to fix a problem then they have to demolish the rooms.
“We are also experiencing problems in another section called Thitwa. The affected streets are Miya, Puledi and Mashiloane. They are in the same line as the Basothong Section,” he added.
He said the big problem is the sinkholes and the dolomites, which caused the sewer lines to become blocked.
“The issue was handed over to the Department of City Planning. So we know what work needs to be done, but I was told by the MMC that currently there are no funds for addressing dolomites and sinkholes.
He said he is trying to set up an appointment with the mayor to see if there are no fund available.
“At the same time I am trying to get five mobile toilets that will temporarily service the community,” he concluded.
Intervention
The CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the City’s Geotechnical Section attended to the complaint about two sinkholes in September 2020, along with departments of water and sanitation, building control, and customer relation.
He said the first sinkhole on Erf 6578 Tokoza was 0.5m in diameter and top of the sewer line according to their GIS data and very close to a shack.
An evacuation notice was given to the owner of Erf 6578 about the sinkhole and the need for the shacks to be moved.
“On later inspections, it was observed that the shacks were not moved but there seemed to be no occupants in the shack,” said Dlamini.
He explained that the water and sanitation department had routinely pumped out sewer from the manhole when previous blockages in the area had been reported. Due to the risk of the sinkhole, the City officials could no longer use the pump.
“During an inspection, building control officials were then tasked with finding the legality of the buildings close to the manhole so that when rehabilitation commences, work can be done quickly, and also to allow easy access for the water and sanitation officials,” he continued.
“The City will immediately act on the sinkhole on Erf 6578 Tokoza and Erf 6666 as soon as the funds have been allocated.
“However, with regards to Erf 6666, the structures that are nearby of the manhole will have to be moved before work can commence,” Dlamini concluded.
