Residents in East Street, Pretoria North, have expressed frustration after enduring weeks of a persistent sewage leak, which the Tshwane metro has now attributed to access challenges caused by locked private property gates.

The sewer blockage, located at 215 East Street, was reported more than three weeks ago, yet remained unresolved during that period.

According to metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, the delay was not due to a lack of action, but rather because the blocked manhole that required to be cleared is situated behind locked gates at 228 Howard Street.

“The factory at 228 Howard Street was closed during the December holidays, and there was no one to open the gates,” he said.

Under normal circumstances, the metro said the expected turnaround time for attending to sewer blockages is 24 hours.

During the delay, residents complained of unbearable smells, health concerns and an increase in illegal dumping in the affected area.

One East Street resident said the situation had become intolerable.

“We had to work and live with this smell every day. It’s not just unpleasant, it’s a health risk. We reported the problem repeatedly and felt ignored while sewage was flowing in the street,” said Mahlodi Bojaki.

The metro has confirmed that arrangements have now been made with the owner of the firm to grant municipal teams access to the site.

Mashigo said the owner reportedly committed to being available on January 16 between 09:00–14:00, allowing the team to access the manhole and clear the blockage.

He anticipated that the sewer blockage would be resolved on that day.

Once the work is completed, the metro mentioned that the affected site will be cleaned and deodorised to reduce lingering odours and health risks.

Until then, no temporary measures were implemented, with Mashigo stating that the blockage itself must first be cleared.

He acknowledged that the area is affected by encroachment issues, which complicate access to infrastructure.

In one of the industrial properties, a sewer manhole is located inside a building, creating delays when access cannot be secured.

Ward councillor Quentin Meyer said, “It is unacceptable that critical public infrastructure like sewer manholes are located inside private properties”.

The metro confirmed that the Regional Wastewater Collection Subsection is responsible for overseeing infrastructure repairs in the area and reiterated that sewer blockages are attended to as they are reported, with repairs prioritised to prevent recurrence where possible.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok or WhatsApp Channel