Sewage, potholes, streetlights burning 24/7 – where’s JW, JRA, and City Power?
A concerned resident, Maj Saffari, says their issues stem from bad city planning, unlawful certificates, and illegal connections to sewerage pipes. The sewage problem has created an ecological disaster.
Pine and Lombardy roads, in Broadacres, tell a tale of neglect and decay, and those responsible for it are evidently doing nothing about it.
Fourways Review, together with Maj Saffari, a concerned resident, traveled up and down the road to discuss how these service delivery issues, from sewage that overflows and streetlights that burn 24/7, to potholes pockmarking the narrow roads, affect the residents as a whole. “If we can ask them to redo the road, we know it is going to be a lot, and they don’t have money, so, we are happy with these endless patches. At least we are able to drive.”
But it doesn’t stop there, Saffari said Eskom is always announcing load shedding, yet they have street lights that are on 24/7. He said, he did report them a number of times, however, to date, there has been nothing done. “Imagine how much money we can save if they come and fix these lights. Our infrastructure, once the backbone of our community, is on the brink of collapse.”
Also read: City Power installs high mast street lights on dangerous dark Fourways intersections
When he thinks about the sewage leaks, and the patches Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) use to fill the potholes, Saffari just can’t help it but put his hands on top of his head.
“Everything is connected, like a chain, and if not fixed or maintained, we can have a national crisis. Sewage overflow, for example, is one of the most destructive and alarming factors in our society today. Besides the obvious health and environmental hazards, it can erode our infrastructure faster than usual. This area used to be farmland, but in the past 30 years, the number of households, estates, and businesses has grown astronomically, without any consideration for the infrastructure.
“Many of these estates have taken shortcuts with sewerage and rainwater drains. I had one of the Johannesburg Water (JW) maintenance officers telling me that people have connected to these pipes illegally, and that’s why the sewage is overflowing constantly. This goes back to bad city planning and unlawful certificates issued over decades. People in Fourways, including myself, have sewage overflowing into our gardens, and even inside our homes, due to blockages in the outside pipelines.”
Read more: JW responds to sewage spills in Sunninghill playground
Saffiri said the sewage problem has created an ecological disaster for indigenous birds, insects, and other life forms.
He said rat populations have exploded and people are allegedly using illegal poison to kill them. “This means all owls and other birds of prey are on the brink of extinction, which means even more population growth for rodents. That leads to so many other issues, including house fires, due to them chewing electrical wires. In the past two weeks, I have caught two rats in my garden and I know there are many, many more.”
We approached JRA for comment on the roads, but none was forthcoming at time of print.
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