A Pretoria North family says it is being forced to pay the price of recurring sewage spills, with raw sewage once again flooding their yard, despite a previous news report and continued intervention by the Tshwane Metro.

Jean-Pierre Hoffmann, who lives on Jan van Riebeeck Street, said the latest overflow has left his family frustrated and increasingly concerned about the impact on their home, children, and pets.

Hoffmann said the sewage problem has become a recurring issue and that he has been forced to use municipal water to clean the affected areas when the metro does not respond quickly enough.

“Every time it costs me a lot of money to use the water of the municipality to clean this up. If I wait for them, it takes two weeks to four weeks for them to show up to finally come and do something,” said Hoffmann.

He said this means his household is effectively paying higher water bills to clean up sewage spills that he believes should be dealt with by the municipality.

“So basically when you use your own water, the bill goes up. Then my bill goes up for their negligence,” he said.

The latest incident follows an earlier report about recurring sewage overflows at Hoffmann’s property.

At that time, Hoffmann said the problem had been occurring for months, with the main sewer line repeatedly backing up and sewage flowing into his yard because his property is situated at a low point in the area.

Hoffmann also questioned whether the sewer infrastructure was capable of handling increased demand following the construction of a four-storey apartment building on a previously vacant property next to his home.

The metro had previously said the recurring blockages were believed to be linked to fats being discharged into the sewer system by users upstream.

However, in its latest response, the metro has provided additional information on the cause of the blockages, stating its investigation is still ongoing.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the service request linked to the latest clean-up remains open but is still within the applicable service level agreement.

“No. The service request relating to the clean-up following completion of the work remains open; however, it is still within the applicable service level agreement timeframe,” said Mashigo.

He said the team needs to wait for the wet ground surface to dry before the site can be properly cleared.

Mashigo also said further assessment had established that the blockage was linked to an upstream obstruction affecting the sewer line.

“The upstream blockage was cleared, during which the obstructing material moved downstream and subsequently caused a further blockage in the same vicinity,” he said.

According to the metro, five service requests have been logged at the property in the past six months.

The latest assessment also identified root intrusion as a contributing factor, with the affected sewer line subsequently cleaned through high-pressure water jetting.

The metro said no notices, fines or compliance directives had been issued against businesses or properties because the investigation into the contributing factors remains ongoing.

Hoffmann, however, said he believes the long-term solution requires more than clearing blockages.

“So basically they need to come and look at the line and replace the pipe where there is a problem,” he said.

He believes the existing pipe is inadequate for the area’s demands, particularly with schools and the nearby apartment development.

The continuing sewage problem is also affecting his family’s home life.

“We are stuck inside the house. We can’t open doors, we can’t open windows for fresh air, because if you open something, the whole house smells like sewage,” Hoffmann said.

He said his children are unable to play outside because of the condition of the yard, while he is increasingly worried about the health of his dog, which spends time in the affected area.

Mashigo said the metro is assessing chronic sewer blockages across Pretoria North to establish their underlying causes and identify appropriate interventions.

“A key challenge remains the presence of foreign objects entering and becoming trapped in the sewer system, which can cause unexpected obstructions and recurring blockages,” he said.

The metro said it could not provide a specific timeframe for a permanent solution, particularly because some blockages are caused by foreign objects entering and obstructing the sewer system.

It said ongoing maintenance and assessment would continue to identify structural defects and implement preventative maintenance measures where necessary.

For Hoffmann, however, the latest overflow has reinforced his call for a permanent solution rather than repeated emergency interventions.

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