Wetland compromises safety of residents

Recent heavy rains resulted in severe flooding of the Pomona wetlands, with residents left to tally the costs of damages.
Heidi Oosthuizen (64) and other residents that live on properties bordering the wetland suffered considerable damage to their properties including sections of walls which were washed away.
According to Oosthuizen, the heavy rains experienced in February caused her property to flood.
This isn’t the first time residents had to pick up the pieces after severe weather conditions.
“In November 2021 we also had a flood due to heavy rains. This time it included our neighbours and the people higher up in EP Malan Street. Our outside wall totally collapsed and the neighbours across the wetlands had all four of their walls collapse.
“The damage to our properties was extensive. The insurance companies didn’t even pay for the damage,” said a distraught Oosthuizen.
She added that she and other residents notified their ward councillor and departments from Ekurhuleni but no one came through to inspect the damages or offer any assistance while residents were left without walls.

According to Oosthuizen, contractors from the city were sent out to work in the wetlands, which she hoped would fix the problem.
“The contractors only made the issues worse. They dug close to our wall and despite us warning our ward councillor that the wall was going to collapse no one came to fix it,” she said.
Her husband Oosie called the area’s ward councillor but he was told that the issues were not his problem.
“Meanwhile a second piece of our precast wall has just collapsed,” she said.
Oosthuizen and her husband are disappointed in the services of the city.
“Services have been non-existent. We have sent e-mails daily and there’s been no response. It’s like they have no interest in the well-being and safety of residents. Since the contractors came to upgrade the stream and left, no one has come to inspect the work.

“We cannot begin to fix the wall before the municipality fixes the damage in the stream,” Oosthuizen said.
“We had our insurance company come out to see what happened and they told us they could not fix our wall until the other damage on the wetlands side had been repaired. If we have to do everything by ourselves we are looking at over R100 000 and we simply cannot afford it,” she added.
The Express sent an inquiry to the City of Ekurhuleni in regard to this matter on February 22. A comment was requested by Friday, February 24 at 15:00.
At the time of going to print no comment had been received.