Wells Estate residents ill due to sewage in street
Rashes, coughing and diarrhoea – these are just some of the illnesses Wells Estate residents have had to endure due to sewage in the street.
The Ematyeni Street residents said the sewage leak had started in October and they had reported it several times.
There is a stench of faeces when walking down the street.
There are used nappies and other bits of trash floating in the green, smelly water.
Children are mostly kept inside their gardens.
Not too far from the sewage, there is an illegal dumping site, with rubbish blowing into people’s homes.
Melumzi Landu, who lives on Ematyeni Street, showed both his arms, covered in rashes with lumps.
He visited a clinic and was given a cream.
“What does it help, though? At the end of the day I still come back to this situation.
“It’s an election year, yet political parties still expect us to vote for them when we live like this,” Landu said.
Another resident, Magdalene Pickering, said her 10year-old son was constantly sick because of the sewage.
Pickering said her son struggled to eat because of the smell.
“I can’t even sleep at night because of the mosquitos.
“The smell is especially bad when it’s hot.”
Pickering, whose house is directly in front of the problem, said her family collected sand and rocks to try to prevent the raw sewage from spilling into her property.
Sheryl-Anne Visagie, mother of a three-month-old, said she was worried about her daughter because she breathed in the filthy air.
“My child is constantly coughing and has rashes on her body.”
Ward 60 councillor Mvuzo Mbelekane said he was aware of the situation and had escalated it to mayor Mongameli Bobani’s office.
Mbelekane conceded that the stench was unbearable.
“I had even made a request for mosquito sprays to be distributed until the issue was resolved. The sewerage system in Wells Estate is a huge problem.
“There is one spot that needs unblocking and once that is done, only then will the sewage be able to flow all the way to Fishwater flats,” Mbelekane said.
Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said the blockage was a result of a collapsed sewer that was about 6m deep.
“This point, however, is located near a high-mast light that must first be taken down before the excavation can take place. This is to prevent the high mast from collapsing.
“Arrangements have been put in place with the electricity and energy directorate to take down the mast for the sewer repairs to be carried out.
“In the interim, the sewage is being sucked up by a vacuum tanker and removed,” he said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
This article is reserved for HeraldLIVE subscribers.
A subscription gives you full digital access to all our content.
Already subscribed? Simply sign in below.
Already registered on DispatchLIVE, BusinessLIVE, TimesLIVE or SowetanLIVE? Sign in with the same details.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@heraldlive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.