Tower of Life begs for help due to a blocked drain
Months have passed since the Tower of Life NPO reported a blocked drain without municipal intervention. Their centre manager feels that the municipality should cover the bills and sort out the mess as per their mandate.
The Tower of Life (TOL) men’s shelter in the CBD is battling a major sewage problem due to a drain that is constantly blocked on the sidewalk.
According to TOL centre manager Janet Jordaan, there has been no sign of any intervention nor any hope of getting any assistance whatsoever from the municipality since mid-April this year.
“We tried to get help via the correct channels but nothing thus far. I sent a message to Mogale City’s WhatsApp helpline on July 25 with a photo asking for help. They responded … ‘we have reported your query to the sewer section’ but when I asked for a reference, I was not given a reply,” Jordaan claimed.
“On July 29, I joined a community WhatsApp group hoping for some assistance – it was a long shot, as this is not the group’s problem. Someone in the group then kindly referred me to the correct department yet still nothing. One of the group members said he had given up on the same issue as he also did not get any help,” she added.
She continued they even followed up with the respective ward councillor numerous times, to no avail.
“The outside drain had become such a problem as it’s causing our drains to be blocked. Out of desperation, I’ve asked for a quote that will clear up the whole problem. The experts said that we would continue having problems with our drains until the drain outside is sorted. The cost of the drain is heavy to shoulder for an NGO that has gone through the correct channels for months now. We feel that the municipality should cover this bill or sort this out as per their mandate,” she said hopelessly.
She added the longer this persists, the more issues there will be as the sewage is running onto the pavement where the community walks.
“Luckily, The Toolbox Community Empowerment Hub stepped in [where the municipality did not] and cleared drains that had been blocked for months,” she concluded.
The Krugersdorp News reached out to Mogale City Local Municipality for comment, however, no response was given by the time of print. However, their feedback will be published once received.
