Wierdapark riddled by sewage leaks
"Driving through Wierdapark will prove to be an unpleasant experience currently with the sewerage flowing down our streets around every corner and the constant foul smell."
Wierdapark residents’ patience is wearing thin as the area is plagued by power cuts, water leaks, uncollected trash, and several long-standing sewerage leaks.
Service delivery to residents across Tshwane has been a headache since the illegal municipal employee strike began on July 24.
Ward councillors have been trying to spread the limited resources thin to address the issues in all parts of Centurion.
In a recent letter to city officials, Liza Vorster, chairperson of the Wierdapark residents association (WPRA), voiced urgent concerns regarding various issues affecting her constituents.
“Driving through Wierdapark will prove to be an unpleasant experience currently with the sewerage flowing down our streets around every corner and the constant foul smell.”
She said the sewage leaks not only compromise the health and safety of residents but could also further pollute the local water resources, including the Hennops River.
At last count, there were sewerage leaks on the corner of Penguin and Gannet Crescent and Susan and Badenhorst /Hendrik as well as in Chris Hougaard, Springbok, Eland, Theuns van Niekerk/Koedoe and Cotie Avenue.
Some have already been repaired by volunteer plumbers.
“Residents are now so desperate that they started a process through WPRA of collecting funds from residents to appoint private plumbers with the necessary heavy jets to open these many drains.”
She said the effects of the strike have been the deterioration of other infrastructure, including bent street poles and leaking minisubs.
Ongoing power issues in Wierdapark and slow turn-around repair times add to the frustrations of the residents.
Vorster said she recognised the difficulties ward councillors, who at times struggled for information or could not share it for the safety of repair teams, faced.
“We have over the months applied reasonable patience and understanding of the difficulties that the city faces in ongoing strikes and the financial challenges as communicated by the mayor in all his videos posted on social media,” said Vorster.
“However, it is unacceptable practice to keep paying residents and consumers in the dark literally and hypothetically with no communication at all on service delivery and turnaround times.”
Rekord was still awaiting comment from the metro at the time of going to print.
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