Savoy Estate and Waverly residents refuse to accept mediocre service from Johannesburg Water
The Joburg Water project began in January 2023 and was supposed to be completed six months later.
Savoy Estate and Waverley residents are growing frustrated over the delay in the Weinberg Family Park sewerage pipe replacement project being facilitated by Johannesburg Water.
DA Johannesburg caucus leader and Ward 74 councillor Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku met with residents, Joburg Water, and the contractor on-site on March 28.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said, “The project began in January 2023 and was supposed to be completed six months later. What is more frustrating is that residents of Savoy are in the process of adopting the Weinberg Family Park, but that process is also delayed due to the park being an active construction site.”
The councillor claimed residents have been battling with sewage flooding their yards since the project began.
Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala explained why the project was taking so long., “The pipeline was initially designed to traverse the park, however, there was an objection to that from City Parks and the pipe had to be moved to the road verge. Due to the situation’s urgency, limited design work was conducted.”
She added it was only during construction that it was discovered that there was groundwater which limited the contractor to laying 6m of pipe a day, instead of the planned 50m.
Shabalala noted that the laying of the pipeline had been completed and the outstanding work was the reinstatement of the asphalt and planting of grass.
“A meeting was held with JRA on April 17 to work out the logistics of the asphalt reinstatement. The asphalt will be completed by May 15.”
The spokesperson claimed the sewage issue was unrelated to the project.
Savoy resident Jason Bome said the repeated delays disrupted the residents’ daily lives and reflected a concerning lack of accountability and responsibility from those in charge.
“It’s disheartening to see taxpayer money being disregarded without proper consequences. The unfinished state of the project is not only inconvenient, it’s an eyesore that affects the entire community’s well-being,” he bemoaned.
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