Johannesburg Water confirmed on January 23 that the entity cannot repair pipes causing blockages in a resident’s home in Lyndhurst.
Taryn Holmes (daughter of the homeowner) reached out to the newspaper on January 13. “I am contacting you about a longstanding sewerage issue on our property that has persisted for over three years, posing serious health concerns to the residents. We initially reported a broken pipe to the Water Department after consulting a private plumber who determined that the repair falls under the jurisdiction of the council or municipality due to its location on communal property.”
Johannesburg Water’s spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala said the team was aware of the issue, which in 2020 was caused by the tree roots on the line which were removed back in 2020.
“An investigation was conducted, and it was found that the pipe that has the problem belongs to the customer (meaning it is not situated or located on municipal property). Furthermore, the pipe is made of pitch fibre, whereas the municipality does not use that kind of pipe material and never has. This means that the entity is not liable to conduct repairs and it is the resident’s responsibility to repair the pipe.”
Shabalala added that the operational manager for sewer was on site and informed the customer that it is not the responsibility of Johannesburg Water to repair because of the following: The connection was rerouted within the property down to the connection at the bottom of the resident’s stand. Therefore, the resident needs to apply for a relocation of the connection where the pipe was rerouted or request for their plumber to repair or relay the pipe within his property.
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