Residents of extension six in Joza are battling with their plumbing as their driveways are flooded, toilets overflowing and bodies are succumbing to rashes.
Residents of extension six in Joza are battling with their plumbing as their driveways are flooded, toilets overflowing and bodies are succumbing to rashes.
When it rains heavily this is a common problem for people in the local townships, in addition to all of the other discomforts that arrive with the cold and the wet.
Nomonde Waka-Kalipa's yard is waterlogged and so is the road to her home. This is a huge problem for her children, who are supposed to arrive at school in clean uniforms from head to toe. Waka-Kalipa has to wear gumboots and then change into her office shoes once she has walked past the deep waterlog before work in the morning. Her husband cannot park their car in the yard either.
Waka-Kalipa has reported the matter twice to the municipal technical services director Dabula Njilo, and council speaker, Rachel Madinda. Referring to Njilo, she says: "They have done no attempt to see what the problem is." She has also lodged these concerns to the Complaints Register.
Waka-Kalipa's neighbours are concerned that this waterlog is a major health hazard. Nomboniso Mangete says, "We live in water and sewage. I have a rash on my back." And then added that her toilet overflows with sewage and fly larvae.
The yard is so flooded that Nokubonga Yekiso could not even use her own toilet until she created a pathway leading to it out of zinc sheets. She also says her child has rashes because of the water on the streets. "They play with this water thinking it's clean," says Yekiso.
Sibongile Tyelbooi joked, "We have township swimming pools here. We need a boat to get around!"
The municipality did attempt to vacuum up the water towards the end of last month. Tyelbooi says when they did, "the pipe was too big. That is why you still see water on the street". He said they told him they would come back with a vehicle from the fire department but they are still waiting.
Some people have had to create alternative solutions for crossing their flooded yards. Luthando Kuphu bought rocks to pave a pathway to his front door, but many others cannot afford such a step,.
"Nobody works here to buy the rocks. I depend on my father's pension (which is R1 140 per month)" says Buyelwa Mlilo. She has to take out the overflowing water from her lounge, one bucket at a time.
Dabula Njilo said the storm water drainage in the township is not able to cope with the heavy rains, "especially the recent ones". Most of the roads in Extension 6 are not properly built, and they have no base courses (foundation for a pavement) and proper storm water drainage systems.
He also said that a cost assessment was made to reconstruct Sani Street in Extension 6 which would amount to, "approximately R6 million," but at this stage "the municipality does not have that amount of money". Njilo added, "However, our Roads Unit had started fixing some potholes and is trying to keep the water out of the road".
