Greenwood Park residents call for proper repairs to sewerage problem

A GREENWOOD Park resident has been seriously affected by a leak in the sewerage line in front of his property in Mimosa Road, caused by raw sewage forming a sinkhole.

In total, four households have been affected by this issue, and have not been able to flush their toilets without the faeces resurfacing.

READ ALSO: Sea Cow Lake resident calls for speed humps after accidents

“I noticed a sinkhole forming about a month ago, but didn’t think it was serious, so I filled it with bricks myself,” said Charles Baatijies.

Days later, the same chunk of the ground on his verge sunk accompanied by a horrible stench.

As the verge forms part of his driveway, and is the only entrance to his property, Baatjies had difficulty accessing and exiting his home.

“My vehicle got stuck in the sludge and I had to call a tow truck to get my car out. Eventually I placed an old door over the sunken area,” he said.

Baatjies contacted the eThekwini Municipality and notified them about the problem.

“They sent out a contractor who only assessed the problem and said someone would return the following day,” said Baatjies.

“They did return the next day and started to repair the problem, but I am uncertain as to what they actually repaired because the affected residents are still unable to flush their toilets properly,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of residents, activist Craig Joshua, said the municipality’s contractors had filled the area with sand which is not solid.

“The sand that was used was taken from a neighbouring property. The contractors did not even come with their own sand,” he said.

“Two separate contractors were deployed on Monday and Tuesday to assess and fix the problem, and to fill up the hole, respectively.

“Both produced shoddy workmanship. Residents still can’t flush their toilets. After one use, residents have to wait a few hours before they can use their toilet again,” said Joshua.

Another activist in the area, Carl Hartley, said access to proper sanitation was every citizen’s basic right.

“Proper sanitation is a basic human right and it’s unfair to the residents who have to incur this inconvenience all because the eThekwini Municipality cannot send out contractors who can do the job properly,” said Hartley.

The eThekwini Municipality was not available for comment.