Residents of Port Jackson Street, Toekomsrus have made a desperate plea to get their sewers unblocked – this after five weeks of reporting the matter has had no result.

According to councillor Gerald Samson, who said he has escalated the matter by sending pictures to the municipality, there hasn’t been any response. Samson said not only was it unfair to leave people in such unpleasant conditions for such a long time, but the situation has worsened.

According to Samson, he is inundated with calls every day from frustrated residents who are saying enough is enough.

“The problem is that the manhole is blocked. I sent the message to the municipality last week on Friday,” Samson said, “but nothing has been done.”

He added that such problems are very common because there is poor maintenance on the overall infrastructure.

We believe that if the infrastructural system was well maintained we would not have these problems,” Samson said. 

Samson said the blockage in Port Jackson Street has also had a ripple effect, resulting in blockages in other drains in the area.

“I feel these people’s pain because I have their complaints on my messages. I’m even more frustrated, because I have sent through reports and escalated the matter to a manager.”

Robert Paulse, who lives in Port Jackson Street, said he always has to make sure that his doors and windows are closed due to the smell.

“It is quite an unpleasant situation. I am running a business, but people are turning away because of the smell,” Paulse said.