In the last quarter of 2021, a multi-million rand sewer replacement project commenced in Witpoortjie.
According to the City of Johannesburg the aim of this R75 million project is to bring relief to a suburb battling with aging infrastructure and repeated drain blockages.
The sewer infrastructure upgrade has been focusing on replacing the old 150mm asbestos cement pipes with new pipes that have a minimum diameter of 160mm. Streets in the block between Nassau and Quellerie Streets to the north and south, and Trezona and Corlett Avenues to the east and west, are the areas earmarked for the infrastructural overhaul.
However, Witpoortjie residents have become frustrated with electricity cables that are frequently damaged in the process. When these cables are hit or damaged by municipal or contract workers, it has a direct effect on the area’s power supply.
Since Witpoortjie is already prone to power outages due to South Road cable theft and substation issues, the affected residents have had enough of these frequently damaged cables.
Currently 19,55km of pipe is being replaced by three separate contractors appointed by Johannesburg Water.
Even though the project currently stands at 90 per cent completion, local resident, Evan Warnich, feels that the manner in which the project is being completed creates an air of shabbiness around the area.
“Apart from the electricity outages, these repairs are causing obstructions for motorists and pedestrians alike. The roads are also in such bad shape in many places and it just feels like no one knows where to walk or where to drive anymore. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems they are taking a lifetime to clean up and fill up where they’ve dug the sewerage trenches,” he explained.
According to Ward 71 councillor René Benjamin, the contractors had been asked on various occasions to look out for these cables and to work cautiously around them.
As well as fulfilling staff obligations, contractors are also responsible for, but not limited to, site clearance, excavation of trenches, horizontal directional drilling, reconnections and reinstatement of disturbed surface to their original condition.
“I do understand the community’s frustration, especially regarding the power outages. But they just have to bear with the contractors for a little while longer. I’ve received word one or two weeks ago that the project is nearly completed,” René concluded.
