Business owners irate over lake stink
While the arrival of summer was welcomed by the masses, it brought nothing but a foul stench for businesses surrounding Bruma Lake.
The stench of sewage and festering litter on the lakeshore is so horrendous that businesses such as Courtyard Eastgate are losing guests.
“When the summer heat is out in full force, the sediment is exposed to direct sunlight and this causes a horrendous stench to emanate from the water. Loss of business at the hotel continues as a direct result of the smell and aesthetic look, let alone the consistent negative reputation the lake has.
“Some guests of Courtyard Eastgate choose not to stay with us once they arrived and asked what the smell is. Or even after having checked in, they have no hesitation in checking out. The odour control is something we have no control over,” said Mr Angus Macmillan, the spokesman for the City Lodge Hotel Group.
The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is responsible for cleaning the lake, however, cleaners have not been seen since November.
Mr Paul Fairall, an environmentalist and the chairperson of the Jukskei River Catchment Area Management Forum, said this is not the first time council failed to carry out its responsibilities.
“Businesses went through the same situation the previous year. There were no cleaners throughout the festive season. What is also of concern is that the wetlands close to Queen Street are not acting as a litter and sewage trap. This is health risk. In March last year, I gave council a report, free of charge, on what to do to improve the environment and officials ignored it. There are plans to convert Bruma Lake into a free-flowing river this year. Council’s actions so far show that officials cannot be trusted to finish the job efficiently,” said Mr Fairall.
Mr Macmillan said that as a result of the negative impact the lake is having on the hotel, a cleaner was employed.
“The Bruma Lake Owners Association has a lake cleaner employed by us. He is on the lake 50 percent of the week to clean up and collect any refuse floating on the surface of the water in front of the hotel. His duties do not extend to the opposite, east side of the lake. If rain is not forthcoming, the amount of water is reduced. This prevents the lake cleaner from reaching all areas for refuse collection. His boat cannot be paddled through the thick sludge. Council committed to rehabilitating the lake over two financial years, however, since a public participation meeting was held in August last year, there has been no update on progress to those who attended,” said Mr Macmillan.
Speaking about the lack of cleaning over the past few months, Mr Nthatisi Modingoane, from the CoJ, said the city is finalising the procurement process and the service provider has been appointed. “We are also finalising the recruitment process for workers to clean the lake. The lake will be cleaned from February. Once the service provider is appointed, the clean-up will be done on a daily basis excluding weekends.”
Mr Modingoane added that the litter trap and baskets, located upstream of the lake, are cleaned on a daily basis by a service provider.
