Broken pump station leaves community disgusted, angry

Residents of Pinehaven Country Estate are growing more and more frustrated over a broken pump station that has been making their lives tough for the past six years.

Since July 2017, tenants have been trying to get the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) to resolve an issue they believe has become an environmental hazard. Residents even went as far as starting a petition (with more than 80 signatures) hoping that the issue would get resolved.

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In September 2020, however, it was confirmed by MCLM that the issue was resolved, however, three years later tenants are still complaining it is not the case.

News journalist Kea Mojaji reached out to MCLM councillor Amy Steyn to get clarity regarding the pump station who confirmed this is an ongoing issue that needs to be resolved.

Amy has been communicating with some of the residents since December 2022 about the issue. She vowed to put pressure on the municipality to meet the residents’ needs.

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“We receive phone calls daily from residents who tell us that the polluted water from the pump station flows down Muldersdrift loop and Kliprivier,” said Amy.

Several residents have also given their views on how the sewage pump affects them daily. One of the tenants says that the stench coming from the sewage is unbearable to the point where he and his family can’t even open the windows in their home as the sewage is just outside their apartment complex. The damaged pump station is not only a problem for residents but is also an environmental hazard as the polluted water will damage the gardens, roads, and paving near the complex.

Amy ensures the residents that if this issue does not get resolved she will report it to the Green Scorpions which is an organisation that ensures that municipalities comply with environmental safety legislation that ensures sanitation in the area is up to standard.