Rhodesfield sewage spill leaves residents frustrated

Residents and businesses in Gladiator Street and surrounding roads in Rhodesfield have raised concerns over sewage flowing through the area, saying the problem has been ongoing since Thursday, September 3.

Residents, along with Ward 17 Councillor Simon Lapping, said they had reported the issue several times but received little feedback.

On September 9, Kempton Express met Lapping, residents and business owners affected by the sewage overflow in Gladiator Street to hear their concerns.

Excel Cargo Services owner Jerry Govender said the problem was not new and had been occurring intermittently for about five years.

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“This has been ongoing for about five years, on and off. Every time it rains, these drains overflow and it becomes a sewage problem for days.

“We need Ekurhuleni to find out what the problem is and solve it instead of just unblocking the drains. As the community, we are upset. We have to drive through the sewage; we have to smell this air every day. It is disgusting for our international travellers,” said Govender.

The Premier Hotel O.R. Tambo, also situated on Gladiator Street, has been affected, with sewage reportedly creeping towards the hotel entrance.

The sewage has also affected the park on Gladiator Street, with residents saying children cannot access the park without going around or jumping over the affected area.

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According to residents, the sewage runs through several streets, including Kingfisher and Mosquito streets, before reaching Harvard Street.

Lapping said he had reported the problem several times, but it was never resolved.

“I have been reporting this since last Thursday and I have reported this about five times and nothing is done about this issue.

“People cannot live in these conditions. Children are having a hard time accessing the park and the Premier Hotel is also affected by this. City of Ekurhuleni needs to do something about this sewage issue. They need to get it fixed,” said Lapping.

When Kempton Express returned to Rhodesfield on October 2, residents said the situation had deteriorated, with sewage reportedly reaching homes and complexes.

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Residents raised concerns about the unpleasant smell and the potential health risks associated with living near the sewage.

The City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said on September 22 that the municipality was aware of the blockage.

“The City has identified the section of pipeline from which the sewer is overflowing. The pipe had a significant amount of silt and soil, causing the sewer line to clog and block. The silt is suspected to be coming from nearby road construction activities,” said Dlamini.

He said no property flooding or sewer backflow had been noted at the time of the City’s assessment.

Dlamini said a team was dispatched to carry out manual rodding on September 9, but was unable to clear the blockage because of the density of objects in the affected section. The matter was then referred for high-pressure jetting.

On September 11, a jetting truck responded and cleared the blockage.

Dlamini said the City had subsequently undertaken further work to address the suspected cause of repeated blockages.

“The issue was addressed. However, to deal with the root cause, a process of sweeping the sewer line to clear and remove the sand and silt within the section of the pipe is still underway,” he said.

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According to Dlamini, sand and silt in the pipe had caused recurring blockages. He said the sweeping and hydro-jetting work was concluded by September 22.

Dlamini also confirmed that residents had not been specifically informed about the health risks of contact with sewage, saying the incident was not a planned activity. He said the affected area was cleaned on September 14.

He said no investigation was considered necessary as the blockage was mainly flowing within the municipal road reserve.

“If there was any loss or damage, the resident may approach the City of Ekurhuleni’s risk department for claims and assessment process,” said Dlamini.

Dlamini said blockages were rare in the area but had increased along Gladiator Street due to sand and silt, suspected to have come from nearby construction activities.

“The sweeping intervention will resolve the matter. The planned hydro-jet sweeping will unbundle densified silt within the affected sections of the pipeline and minimise possible future blockages,” he said.