Sewage spills make life unbearable for residents
“Even walking past the manholes, the fumes of human waste hits you between your eyes.”
With two suburbs currently plagued by sewage problems, Brakpan literally stinks.
Residents living in the vicinity of Hofmeyer Street in Brenthurst and Gert Bezuidenhout Street in Minnebron are forced to live behind closed doors to escape the putrid smell emanating from sewage spills in the veld.
The vomit-inducing stench is also attracting flies and residents in the affected areas are battling pesky insect infestations.
The Herald has been inundated with complaints from residents from both areas who protest that their pleas for help from the City of Ekurhuleni have fallen on deaf ears.
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In an email to the Herald, one Brenthurst resident complained he has been attempting to get the sewage issue attended to since before lockdown started last year.
“I have been living in the same house for 19 years and it’s disgusting how the field in front of my property looks,” he wrote.
“We used to have so much birdlife, it was beautiful. Now, we have a stinking sewage farm right on my front doorstep.
“Some days it smells so bad, a person ends up feeling sick.
“The manhole in front of my property doesn’t even fit properly. What’s the point?
“Even walking past the manholes, the fumes of human waste hits you between your eyes.
“If you ride down Thomas Street you, can clearly see how it bubbles up.
“If you stand on the corner of Hofmeyer and Thomas streets, you can see and hear the sewage.
“It’s disgusting. The flies are unbearable in my house. I can’t even open a window for fresh air anymore.”
Brandon Pretorius, DA councillor for the area, told the Herald the municipality is failing residents and their right to live in a healthy environment.
“I am inundated with calls from all over Brenthurst with complaints of sewage overflowing,” he said.
“This is not a new complaint and after some investigation, I found the problem is caused by the actions of the occupants of the informal settlement at the Old Brakpan Location.
“It seems the occupants have again been illegally connecting their electricity to the pump station, which is responsible for pumping the sewage of the suburb into the main line.
“If the sewage does not get pumped out, it is just a matter of time before the sewage spills out elsewhere.
“The actions of the illegal occupants of the informal settlement are now directly affecting the lives of the taxpaying residents of Brenthurst, as well as their own.”
After escalating the issue to the local water and sanitation department, Pretorius stated the department has confirmed they are working with the energy department to look into a permanent solution to ensure the safety of the pump, as well as the power supply to the pump.
“There will be an intervention and progress meeting on May 12 to ensure the matter receives the immediate attention it deserves,” he added.
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As for the sewage issue in Minnebron, DA Ward councillor Stefanie Ueckermann, under whose ward Minnebron falls, believes the illegal dumping of sewage is to blame.
“For the past few weeks, I have received multiple complaints from residents about a sudden fly infestation.
“After a video surfaced, I investigated and found there are major sewage spills next to the designated deposit site in the field between Gert Bezuidenhout Street and the R23.
“The site was constructed for permitted vehicles to deposit raw sewage directly into the system through an open manhole enclosed by a fence.”
Ueckermann explained the trucks are supposed to have hoses to deposit the waste into the system.
“It seems that’s not the case as there is raw sewage all over the place, which tells me the truck operators are not following proper processes,” she said.
“The department asked me to ask residents in the area to be on the lookout for any truck not following proper processes by dumping sewage directly onto the ground.
“I have requested the area to be cleaned and treated with chemicals. It has not been done yet and I will follow up.”
Comment requested from the City of Ekurhuleni will be published once it has been received.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Thelma Koorts (editor) brakpanherald@caxton.co.za or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za
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