Bryanston resident fed up as sewage spills persist despite repeated complaints
Bryanston resident Justin Kretzmar says repeated sewage spills have become a health and environmental hazard as Johannesburg Water continues to close unresolved cases.
For Bryanston resident Justin Kretzmar, the smell of raw sewage has become a sickening part of his daily routine.
Since August, a manhole outside his home near 22 East River Road East has erupted four times, flooding his driveway with untreated waste and spilling into the nearby Sandspruit River.
“This is beyond frustrating. Every time I think it’s sorted, it starts all over again,” said Kretzmar. “It’s disgusting, unhealthy, and dangerous.”
Read more: Sewage spills again in Bryanston amid alleged Johannesburg Water inaction
Despite numerous calls and reference numbers, including the most recent one, Jwapp-40060470, Kretzmar said Johannesburg Water (JW) had either ignored the problem or offered short-term fixes that last only a few days. “They close the case, but the sewage keeps coming.”
A second manhole further down East River Road East is seen spewing untreated waste into the Sandspruit River, a tributary of the ecologically sensitive Jukskei River.
“Clearly, they didn’t unblock far enough down the line. The manhole in my driveway overflows every morning and evening. The sewage from the other blocked manhole has been spilling into the river since Friday [September 26], and no one has come to fix it despite multiple calls. What’s worse, my reference numbers just keep getting closed.”
Also read: Residents battle recurring sewage crisis near Braamfontein Spruit
He added that the first spill in August took a full week to be addressed, and even then, only partially. “They promised to bring water jets to clean the mess. That never happened. I ended up having to wash the road myself.
“I’m still waiting for them to come and clean the road. This isn’t just unpleasant, it’s a health hazard for my family and a threat to the environment.”
Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford, who has repeatedly escalated the matter, is frustrated like the residents.
“East River Road East had a major sewage spill back in August, faeces all over the street,” she said. “Johannesburg Water took forever to respond, and when they finally did, it wasn’t properly cleaned. Justin had to wash it down himself.”
She added that there seems to be confusion within Johannesburg Water about how to handle recurring complaints, and no proper long-term solution had been proposed. “We’ve seen this multiple times now. It’s recurring, and we still have no clarity on when it will be resolved permanently.”
The Sandton Chronicle reached out to JW for a comment, but at the time of publication, no comment was received. Updates will be provided once they are available.
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