Residents are sickened by incessant sewage leak

Residents of Ninth Avenue, Forderville, have been co-existing with a persistent sewage leak since 2005. With no end in sight, Nokuthula Ngcobo (one of the residents) contacted the Estcourt News to publicise the poor conditions these people have to endure.

When Ngcobo moved into her home in the street in 2018, she was informed by neighbours that the sewage leak has been ongoing since 2005.

“My neighbours said to me that they were told nothing could be done due to the addition of the suburbs in Papkuilsfontein and Rensburg, whose waste was filtering down to us in Ninth Avenue,” she explained.

Ever-present foul odour

As Ngcobo settled into the neighbourhood, she soon became acquainted with the ‘filthy remnants’ strewn in front of her home and the ever-present foul odour that hovers over the area. Every time the sewer leak would surface, she would report it to uThukela District Municipality, either by telephone to the call centre in Ladysmith or by visiting the satellite office in Estcourt.

“When uThukela staff come to fix it, after a day or so, it is leaking again. They say there is nothing they can do about it. I was told that I bought the wrong house!” said Ngcobo.

Mayor steps in

At her wits’ end with the smelly leak, the resident reached out to Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality Mayor Mduduzi Myeza.

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“He came on the same day and did try to help us. He called uThukela and staff arrived, but they said they required a machine to do the repairs. When they came back three days later, they unblocked all the pipes and the leak stopped for a month. Sand, diapers and foreign objects were found inside the pipes,” explained Ngcobo.

Awareness programme suggested

It was then that she was advised that an awareness programme should be held to educate people about what they should not be throwing into the sewage system.

“I contacted my ward councillor to conduct a workshop. A month after the repairs, it started leaking again,” Ngcobo fumes.

Health hazard

She says that the health hazard is a major concern.

“I brought my two-year-old grandson to live with me and now he can’t even go outside and play. The smell is unbearable. I recently took a decision to draft a petition, which the residents also did years ago, and presented it to uThukela District and Inkosi Langalibalele Local municipalities. uThukela said there was nothing they could do. I don’t know where else to turn,” she related.

Ngcobo hopes that a long-term solution will be found soon and even has a few suggestions of her own to relay to the district municipality as a way to combat further sewage leaks.

“If it’s possible, the sewage line should be moved into the open field across the road, where there are no houses. If there is a sewage leak, it is not right in front of our homes. Also, the slabs that are placed on top of the manholes have not been done correctly. There are gaps between the manhole and slab. So even when there is no leak, the smell is still present,” she said.

These concerns have been forwarded to uThukela District Municipality’s communications department and a response is awaited.

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