Plans are underway by the Tshwane metro to fix a sewage drain that has previously driven locals to take matters into their own hands.
This sewage drain in Soutter Street has driven locals to block the road in an attempt to stress the urgency of the matter.
The road was, again, cleared last week when municipal workers started to clear the blocked road on Tuesday and resumed their work on Wednesday.
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Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said this week that plans were on the way to have the issue resolved.
“The report for the appointment of a specialist contractor to effect the required sewer repairs has recently been approved and an appointment of a contractor will be made soon,” he said.
“Repairs are anticipated to commence shortly afterwards.”
Mashigo said the metro saw the urgency of the matter.
He said that they were adamant to have the old drainage system repaired which caused leaks in the area.
He said the municipal sewers in Pretoria West were installed in 1934, in a confined working space, adding that it was likely that the system had collapsed.
The protest was in an attempt to pressure the metro to close up a manhole it dug and left open in November last year.
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Since then, raw sewage has been flowing freely down the road, affecting many in the area.
The hole was dug by the metro to fix the spot that caused blockages in the pipeline.
Locals first started to block the road in January, after a man fell in the hole and was left badly injured.
The road was then blocked again on 8 March and again two weeks ago.
Residents in the area said they were fed up with the smell, adding that it posed a health concern.
Businesses in the area said they could not take the smell any more. Some even had to close up their businesses after the protest erupted again.
One such an owner was Fritz de Klerk, who said he could not take the smell any more.
“This whole ordeal is starting to affect my business negatively,” he said.
De Klerk is the owner of Toypart, which is on the corner of that road.
“We have reported this to the Tshwane metro on numerous occasions, but without luck,” he said.
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