Pushing faster and faster, energy is expended only to find oneself in the same place again and again.
Years of administrative wrangling, public outcries and repeated site visits have left the residents of Davidsonville with little else than disillusionment. The pressure placed on aging infrastructure by the swelling of the community of backyard dwellers mounts daily and despite efforts from those closest to ground, the wait for a resolution continues.
Ward 71 councillor, Rene Benjamin, scheduled another walk-through of the area to reassess the situation and reiterate a commitment to resolving the issues, July 20. The councillor was accompanied by Johanneburg Water representative, Kobus Beukes, and together went door to door evaluating the infrastructural challenges. Broken toilets, leaking taps, blocked drains and pools of brown waste water littered multiple backyards.
The core issues are two-fold: a need to replace a sewer pipe, and the relocation of the backyard dwellers. However, the problems are not interdependent, as René explained. “The backyard situation contributes to the problem but does not hamper the project for happening. The issue is getting the emergency Capex approved.”
While the sewer pipe that services the area is strained, the consensus is that a variety of unsuitable objects flushed are to blame as clothes, plastic, toys and even a potato sack were pulled from the pipe. “That top end should not affect the situation other than people are throwing items into the system that causes blockages and the overflow. It was said that even the amount of sewerage flow should not cause the issue currently faced, the items that block the system cause the issue,” explained the ward councillor.
Members of the backyard community are also desperate to be allocated social housing, and were promised units at a Goudrand development. Sadly, the demand for housing far exceeds the supply, and space on waiting lists fills quickly. “The MEC, through our Housing Director, is being asked to accommodate he backyard dwellers on the Goudrand recipients lists,” stated René.
The two key role players in the matter are, of course, Johannesburg Water and the housing department. Requests for any indication of a way forward for the beleaguered residents of Davidsonville and those hoping for social housing went unacknowledged. A common question frustrated residents asked to visiting officials is, “Would you like to come live here? Do you want to use this toilet?”
