‘Neglected’ 19th Avenue’s drainage crisis sparks outcry among residents
For nearly two months, residents on 19th Avenue Selbourne, have struggled with a stagnant pool of dirty, foul-smelling water as a nearby drain, intended to channel away storm water, overflows instead.
On 19th Avenue Selbourne, a section of the road is submerged under a pool of dirty water. Residents report that instead of flowing down into the Jukskei River through a drain as intended, the water rushes back up through the same channels.
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For nearly two months, locals have endured this stagnant pool, which residents now say is exuding a foul stench. Zenzele Mofokeng, a resident in the area, said the situation was further aggravated by drainage water mixed with discarded rubbish. Local vendor Olga Mashaba, who sells food nearby, said the smell was becoming unbearable “Sometimes cars pass at high speed, splashing the water all over this place, it is bad,” Mashaba added.
Residents claimed that the problem was first reported in April, yet the issue remained unresolved. A screenshot of an email sent by resident Isaac Bapela to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) showed that the agency was alerted about the crisis on April 25, with JRA Customer Relations Management replying, “Your service request has been directed to our regional depot for attention…” Despite this initial acknowledgement by JRA, nearly three weeks later, the stench and water persist. Several complaints have surfaced on the Ward 116 group chat, with locals lamenting the ‘neglect’ and describing the situation as a serious health hazard.
On May 2, the local councillor Adolphus Marema’s office assured residents that JRA had promised to send a team to address the issue during the week, while also urging community members to desist from dumping waste that clogs the drain. Despite this assurance, Marema’s office later said the jet truck needed to clear the drain had not yet been ‘confirmed’. Residents expressed frustration with the prolonged delay in repairing the drain, saying that JRA was neglecting their service delivery concerns.
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Marema’s secretary, Sandile Mdluli said he had escalated the matter to JRA. “We escalated the matter to JRA officials. Our communication dates back to April 31. We have been trying to fix the issue, but they keep on telling us about the jet truck. They said they tried to send one to the area, but it broke down on the way… We have the matter recorded, we are even tracking dates of our communication so that when the residents want an update, we will be able to show that on this day we spoke to so and so.”
Alex News approached JRA for comment, but it was not obtained at the time of publication.
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