Zwartkop sewage crisis leaves residents frustrated
The pump station has not beein working since June, with the sewage flowing into the Hennops River from a stormwater drain next to the N1 highway.
The ongoing sewage crisis in Zwartkop Extension 4 has left residents frustrated and concerned as a non-functioning sewer pump station on Akkerboom Street has been out of commission for months.
The metro addressed the issue and confirmed that its technical team is aware of the challenges at the pump station and has been working diligently to resolve them.
On November 22, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said a contractor had been on-site busy with repairs at the pump station since November 14.
He also indicated that the contractor had assured the city that the pump station would be operational by the end of business day on November 22.
“In order to prevent future failures, the technical team in Region 4 responsible for operations will continuously monitor the performance of the pump station.”
He said during a recent inspection, the metro’s water and sanitation department found the pump station fully operational.
“The sewer infrastructure is inspected by the regional operations team continuously, and spillages and other maintenance issues are attended to immediately.
“The city also relies on residents to report any spillages.”
Mashigo said the metro has appointed a consulting engineering company to conduct a comprehensive survey of the condition of all the sewer pump stations in Tshwane.
“Once the survey is completed, any required refurbishment will be prioritised and attended to.”
He added that the refurbishment of sewer infrastructure is dependent on the availability of funds.
However, residents are sceptical of the promises.
Piet van der Merwe, a local resident, expressed his discontentment, stating that he has tried getting help from all avenues, including the metro, but they ignored his calls for help.
Van der Merwe first noticed the malfunctioning pump in June and has since observed sewage flowing into the Hennops River from a stormwater drain next to the N1 highway.
“This is a major issue because the sewage flows into the Hennops River, causing pollution,” he said.
“The last time I was able to get hold of someone from the municipality, they told me there were contractors on site, but when I went there, there were no contractors there.”
Van der Merwe said he reached out to political parties but none of them have done anything.
“They always say they will investigate but nothing gets done. Such things should be fixed on the same day, it should not take months to get fixed.”
Ward councillor Peter Sutton said he has been working with residents for the last month to get this resolved.
“This has been a major problem, and we have raised various concerns regarding this issue.
“I received feedback and commitments from officials that the matter would be resolved.”
He said pumps were stolen at the pump station, and the metro had to replace them, which resulted in delays.
Sutton said better security measures need to be put in place to protect the infrastructure from theft in the future.
“If they were stolen once, there’s a high chance that they might get stolen again,” he warned.
Sutton said although the sewer pump station is currently operational, the metro technical team is still repairing it.
He expressed concern about the environmental implications, stating that sewage flowing down the N1 highway poses serious pollution risks, affecting both the local community and the surrounding ecosystems.
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