People living in the part of Welverdiend closest to the Wonderfonteinspruit had to deal with massive sewage leaks this week.

On September 12 at 13:00, raw sewage started pouring down 17th Street from an overflowing manhole in an open yard.

More sewage also flooded into 25th Street from another manhole in the same yard, as well as a separate manhole leak nearby. The leaks were so severe that parts of 18th Street and 26th Avenue ended up completely flooded with sewage.

Residents have suspected for years that the local sewerage pipes are simply too small to handle the volume being sent to the Welverdiend sewerage works.

“The municipality keeps on building more houses and structures and adding to our sewage network. All the sewage of Elijah Barayi and Ext 6 have now been added onto the network, but the municipality has not upgraded it,” complains one of the affected residents.

This resident also noted that property prices in Welverdiend have dropped since the low-cost housing area was built next door.

When the Herald tried to get answers, the municipality’s marketing and communication manager, Temba Fezani, did not provide any feedback before publication.