Raw sewage floods Brackenhurst home as city fails to provide permanent solution
Despite repeated complaints, a Brackenhurst homeowner continues to endure raw sewage flooding his property with no permanent fix from the city.
A Brackenhurst resident has been battling ongoing sewer blockages for over a year, despite numerous complaints to the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) and the city’s mandate to deliver reliable water and sanitation services.
According to Nicholas Fraser, the issue began in April last year, when a sewer inside the property burst, causing raw sewage to back up into the home.
The problem persisted for more than three weeks before a temporary fix was applied. Since then, blockages have become a regular occurrence, with no lasting resolution in sight.
In the latest incident, city officials unblocked the sewer on September 21, but on September 24, it was blocked again.
Fraser reported the issue once more, but was shocked to find the call marked as closed in the city’s system, even though the problem remained unresolved.
Officials returned on September 26 to unblock the sewer again but left the property without cleaning up the sewage left behind.
“I can’t even work in my own garden anymore. Every time it blocks, the sewage overflows into the yard and ruins everything. I’m tired of logging complaints and begging for basic service delivery,” said a visibly frustrated Fraser.
He submitted numerous reports to the city and escalated the issue repeatedly, but all efforts have resulted in temporary relief.
According to the CoE, the Water and Sanitation Department is responsible for providing safe, quality potable water and sanitation services, as well as addressing challenges and root causes of water-related issues.
Infrastructure design is also expected to comply with the latest codes and standards. But for this Brackenhurst household, those commitments have failed to translate into action.
Ward 38 Clr Thavha Maifala-Masebe confirmed that the matter had been escalated.
“I have forwarded the complaint to the head of department (HOD) of Water and Sanitation. Unfortunately, I cannot force the department to act, but the HOD is the one who is supposed to attend to it with his team,” he said.
Despite paying municipal rates and taxes on time, Fraser says he feels neglected and ignored.
“How long must I live like this?” he asked.
As sewage continues to spill into his property with each new blockage, he is left with more questions than answers and an increasingly urgent need for the city to act.
The Alberton Record will be following this matter closely.
