Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs is not pleased with Johannesburg Water (JW) repairs on a pipe on Bobby Locke Road, Randpark, that is continuing to spill sewage into the Klein Jukskeirivier.

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The councillor explained that the pipe has been an issue since 2012, with sewage running into the river. JW attended to the pipe, but only patched it with tape. Resultantly, sewage is still seen dripping through and down into the river. “A couple of months ago, JW promised to bring a contractor for proper repairs, but they did not. They only came, dug up, and put tape on the pipe.” The councillor stated that, while it’s better than it was before, where sewage was gushing nonstop for over 30 days, the tape solution won’t last, as sewage is already starting to slip through.

Next to the pipe, two manholes have also been blocked, leaking even more raw sewage into the river. Windsor East has also been facing a concerning issue of sewage flowing down the streets for days, and more blocked manholes.

On Duchess Avenue, there has been raw sewage flowing down the road since October 27. It was coming out of a drain on the side of the road, and going into residents’ properties. A few metres away, there is another sewage leak, spilling onto Republic Road. The smelly water has already caused damage to the busy road.

JW attended to the blockages, but the road was not cleaned. Residents continued to suffer from the stench, exposed to visible waste, which is a serious concern.

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Jacobs explained that JW came with a jet-vac truck and flushed the sewer line; however, this is a recurring, legacy infrastructure problem. “I have previously requested that the sewerage, and water reticulation, systems in this area be upgraded, but the city has cited budget constraints, and the upgrade has unfortunately not been prioritised.

“The continuous sewage overflow is not only affecting residents and road users; it’s contaminating the river that runs through the golf course and the Randpark suburb, posing a serious public health and environmental risk.”

Jacobs added that ageing infrastructure, overpopulation, and residents throwing things into drains are some of the causes of the sewage issues in the area. “It is an elastic approach that needs an elastic solution. Government needs to come and do by-law enforcement in the buildings, which hasn’t happened for years.”

She pleaded with the Windsor East residents to be careful of what they throw down their drains.

Questions were sent to JW, but they, unfortunately, had not replied by the time of print.

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