Klipspruit West residents at wits end with Joburg Water
After four months of having sewage flow through their homes, residents of Klipspruit West stand together to hold Joburg Water accountable.
Residents of Klipspruit West are fed up after almost four months of having sewage water flowing into their homes.
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Joburg Water officials arrived in the area last week and that caused some residents to explode with frustration.
97-year-old Clara Williams said, “I even wanted to go clean there and I tripped and fell over a brick. It’s been going on for so long, every time we have to hire people to come and clean the yard.
“The pastor came to add concrete slabs so that the sewage water can flow to the back and not over my front yard. Joburg Water just comes and look, they don’t do anything.”
The Joburg Water officials told residents that they cannot do anything until the manager authorises the work to be done.
A resident shared that there were children who suffered from diarrhoea and bacterial infections and they had to go to the clinic for a five-day treatment plan. Residents suspect that sewage is the cause of it.
Earlier that morning, residents along with PR Cllr Malverine Davis went to the Joburg Water depot to have a meeting with Piet Pretorius who is the Joburg Water area manager.
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George Claasen who also attended the meeting said, “Piet told us that the issue is going to take a while to fix but what they can do on a temporary basis is send a sewer jet truck to come and drain this sewage water three times a week for now.
“They told us that they will bring the engineers on Monday (August 22) to assess the situation and see how they are going to fix the burst pipe at the church which is causing this issue.”
Another resident, Christopher Seekoei explained that Joburg Water officials have been giving them about a one litre of dip twice a week to clean their yards but as he explained, it did not help as it just flows away with the sewage.
Ward 11 Councillor (Cllr) Masha Mulelu arrived and the residents took him to the affected houses. He spoke to the residents and ensured them that this issue will be resolved.
The Cllr was also told about how a family had to move their shack in the early hours of the morning as the drain in the yard just started overflowing.
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Cecilia Lemek told the Cllr that she longs for a bath, as many residents have to wash in buckets and throw their water out in the yard or street because the water in the bath takes at least three days to flow out and when it does, the drains outside overflow even more.
Cllr Mulelu left for a meeting but told residents that the sewer jet truck will be there by afternoon.
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