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Khutsong residents struggle with flooding due to lack of stormwater system

This new low-cost housing area has no proper storm water drainage.

Residents of Khutsong Extension 6 next to Welverdiend complain that the stormwater system in this area seems to be non-existent.

The property of several residents from this relatively new low-cost housing area was damaged during the heavy rain that fell at approximately 16:00 on Monday, January 6.

“We were in the house when I looked through the window and saw the flood water outside our home. The water then streamed in and damaged our furniture. Our fridge and washing machine are also not working after our house was flooded,” says Boitumelo Mabayo of house no. 8884.

Her husband had to smash a hole in the wall around the house to let some of the water out. This, however, upset their neighbour after their yard ended up being flooded.

A few blocks away several houses in the lowest-lying area of Extension 6 were flooded when the water from several streets streamed into their yards.

“When it rains all the water from several streets flows into my yard,” says Oscar Mathabele of house no. 8761.

Mathabele and some other residents were forced to dig trenches in front of their properties to channel the water away from their houses.

Several residents noted that there is no stormwater drains in this area. This causes all the rainwater to stream down streets and dam up and flood lower-lying yards.

“We do not know whether the municipality paid the contractor who built the infrastructure here to build a storm water network together with the sewerage network, as is usually the case,” another resident, Jacob Molote, said.

According to the residents they had taken up the issues with their ward councillor but received no response.

The Herald asked the Merafong City Local Municipality’s marketing and communications manager, Temba Fezani, about the matter on Monday but received no feedback.

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Adele Louw

Adele has been in the community media since 1997, first in Mpumalanga and since 2008 in Gauteng, and is passionate about giving a voice to residents of all communities.

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