An incessant sewerage leak has been plaguing Steven Mkhize and his family for many years.

The family diligently keeps the sewage manhole inside their yard clean and free of overgrowth but on the outside of 25 Rolland Hellet Road, the main manhole has developed a hardened wall of debris.

This, Mr Mkhize believes is obstructing the free flow of the sewage, which causes it to overflow inside his yard as well as on the roadside. Last week, again, the sewage outlet blocked and caused a stinky mess on the roadside and inside the yard.

Mr Mkhize employed the help of a family member to dig through the mess so he can get to the root of the problem. He says that previous sewage leaks have been reported to Uthukela District Municipality, but staff insists that the problem lies within the family’s yard, thus it is their problem to solve.

When the manhole cover was unearthed, it revealed as Mr Mkhize had suspected, the blockage made up of brown debris, which obstructed sewage flow from the family’s manhole.

“We are tired of talking to Uthukela, they say it is my problem, but as you can see, the passage in their manhole, outside the yard, is blocked. This is causing the block,” said Mr Mkhize.

“The smell is terrible and what about the health hazard? We have children and this leak was reported four weeks ago,” he added.
He hopes that by publicising this concern through the media, the district municipality may address a problem that has been persisting for years.

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