Residents blame a main line blockage for ongoing sewage leak at Weltevreden Flats
As the leak worsens, residents say they’re told to hire private plumbers, despite living on municipal property.
After months of water damage from roof repairs, residents of the Weltevreden Flats on Voortrekker Road now face another crisis – an ongoing sewage leak that’s been plaguing their homes for two months.
The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) attended to the issue on August 11, but the mess returned almost immediately, leading residents to believe that the problem was on the main line in the road rather than on the premises.
This follows months of delays in replacing a section of the roof, which caused water damage to the flats below during the heavy rainy season (Asbestos roof removal at council flats sparks health fears and flooding chaos, April 14).
When asked about the roof repairs and the sewage leak, CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini stated that the city is aware of the situation.
“The roof installation has been completed, and ceiling work resumed on August 11. Electrical and plumbing repairs will follow.
“We anticipate the completion of the project by the end of the month. The city remains committed to providing quality, sustainable services to the community,” he said.
Residents declined to comment for fear of being unlawfully evicted for complaining about poor service delivery. As the flats are on municipal property, residents expect maintenance and repairs by municipal contractors, but claim they are often told to hire private contractors instead.
“They tell us to get a private plumber to fix the sewage problem. Meanwhile, we get sick, and have to live with the stink,” said one resident.
“They cleaned it up, but then hours later it was back, so they just put bricks on the drain to stop solid matter from exiting.”
At the time of publication, no further efforts to repair the sewage line had been made.
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