Greenville residents slam ‘unresponsive’ councillor as sewer crisis festers
Greenville residents are fed up—not just with the stench of raw sewage flowing outside their homes, but with their ward 81 councillor, who they say has ignored their cries for help.
A worsening sewer overflow in the Greenville informal settlement has left residents seething, not just because of the unbearable stench, but because of what they call the ‘silence’ of Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz.
The spill, which began on June 22, has seen raw sewage flowing past residents’ doorsteps, forcing families to cook just steps away from this contaminated stream. Despite growing health and safety concerns, the residents continue with their lives, bearing the stench and feeling neglected.
Read more: Burst sewer pipe spews human waste into houses
Greenville resident Thabisa Mazantsi stressed that the sewage could harm the health of their children. “Now we have to always look after the children because when they see water, they go there. They do not know it’s human waste.” She added that they use makeshift coal stoves to cook to save their gas, and the only place to put them was outside their shacks next to the smelly stream.
Another resident, Tebogo Phoofolo, expressed concern about the situation, adding that it is worsened by residents who continue to pour water into the stream. Although residents are aware that they should report their issue to Johannesburg Water and provide Horwitz with a reference number to escalate the matter, none of those interviewed could confirm having done so for the latest spill.
“In the past, we sent her [Horwitz] messages about our problems, but she never replied. She only responds to service delivery issues in Lyndhurst and other places, not here,” claimed Greenville resident Patrick Ngidi.
In her defence, Horwitz explained that she served a ward of about 40 000 residents, with nearly 10 000 residents on her WhatsApp, and despite the volume, she tries to respond to messages promptly. “It is very challenging to keep up with communicating with so many people, especially as service delivery is declining as the city increasingly fails,” she said.
Some residents stressed that the issue was not just about WhatsApp communication, but Horwitz’s absence in their area, with one, Mpho Phibantu, claiming she had not been there since 2023.
But Horwitz said that she only visited communities when invited, citing personal safety concerns. “I typically do not force myself on residents who have indicated my presence is not wanted. I have previously been invited to attend residents’ meetings and meetings with officials.”
Although residents acknowledged that they were illegally occupying the area, they stressed that their basic service delivery concerns should be addressed.
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