Overflowing sewage terrorises Mahube Valley residents for weeks
“I immediately reported it again, only to be told the problem emanated from a main pipe in Tsamaya Road and a jetting machine was needed to unblock it.”
A family in Mahube Valley, Mamelodi has been stuck inside their house for almost four weeks, while Tshwane metro was waiting for the delivery of a jetting machine.
Homeowner Dorah Mgijimi (53) claimed her yard was flooded by overflowing sewage.
When she reported the problem to the Mamelodi metro offices, metro workers came out to unblock the sewerage, but it is overflowing again.
“I immediately reported it again, only to be told the problem emanated from a main pipe in Tsamaya Road and a jetting machine was needed to unblock it,” said Mgijimi.
She said in 2018, sewage flooded four houses for almost a week before the problem was fixed.
“We have pleaded with the metro to remove the sewerage from my yard but they have thus far failed to remove it,” said Mgijimi.
She said her and the neighbour’s furniture were damaged and the metro promised compensation.
According to the residents, they are more worried about the continuous overflowing of sewage which floods Mihloti Street because they have small children.
Now during school holidays, children are playing in the streets.
“Who will be looking after them when we are at work?”
She added that this was not the first time the sewer had blocked and waste flowed freely, “but this time the situation is very bad, much worse than the previous times”.
One of the neighbours took his children away to stay with their grandmother because of the bad smell and since his family could not cook inside their own home because of the overpowering smell.
Mgijimi said her three children are now continuously coughing and she was unsure if that had something to do with the human waste in her yard.
“Other residents are worried for their health too,” she said.
She said she could no longer go to work, but instead had to sweep off human waste from her yard or hire people to do it for her just for some summary relief.
She said in 2018, she had to use blankets to dry the floor after her house was flooded by waste damaging her furniture.
“Our health is at risk. We are worried that we and our children will get sick from inhaling the bad smell,” said Mgijimi.
She said she used to keep dogs but had to give them away during the flood of 2018.
She added she has done almost everything in her power to stop the overflowing sewage from getting into her house including building a barrier around the sewage with brick and mortar to divert future bursts.
“But the current from the sewerage is way too strong for my barrier – it just broke apart,” she said.
Mgijimi said the spill was also causing tension between herself and neighbours.
She said neighbours insisted she buy detergent and clean her yard to get rid of the stench “as if I am responsible for it”.
At the time of going to press, the metro had yet to respond to Rekord enquiries.
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