Nozuko Mapu who lives in Extension 6 is one of many residents living in the street near Ezinjeni Tavern plagued by the stench of faeces, thanks to a sewage spill that's been bubbling from beneath a manhole for weeks.
Nozuko Mapu who lives in Extension 6 is one of many residents living in the street near Ezinjeni Tavern plagued by the stench of faeces, thanks to a sewage spill that's been bubbling from beneath a manhole for weeks.
"I cannot sit outside. I cannot open windows even if I want to. The smell is unbearable," she says. It runs down the street and angry residents say they've reported the problem to the municipality, but nothing has been done. When Grocott's Mail visited the street on Tuesday a dam of sewage had formed at the end of the stream running past people's homes.
People say the spill started after municipal workers came to upgrade parts of the sewerage system under the manhole more than three weeks ago.
Resident Khuthala George is struggling to deal with the unbearable stench. "There is raw sewage right in front of my house," he said. "The municipal workers came about a week ago and looked, but they did nothing. We never saw them again after that." He is concerned about people's safety as children play there and could drown in the little "dam of poo".
Meanwhile Mapu's troubles don't just start at the boundary to her property. Sewage runs all over her garden too. She said she couldn't even use the tap in her yard because the area is soaked in raw sewage. "I cannot sit outside, I cannot open windows even if I want to. The smell is unbearable, this is too much now. "It has been three weeks and the councillor kept on saying she would come and she never comes," Mapu said.
For Jackson Ntantiso it's business as usual however. Although his garden is right next to the overflowing sewage he said he has to get on with his gardening. "It smells so bad, but I have to do my garden work. This thing has been happening for a long time. This sewage overflows every time it rains and they never fix it," Ntantiso said.
Makana Municipality Infrastructure and Engineering Director Thembinkosi Myalato told Grocott's Mail that the leaking was caused by alterations to the sewerage reticulation system under the manhole. "What happened there was that we are currently upgrading the sewer manhole because of capacity, that is why there was a spillage. We are going to suction the little dam and put powder there today (Thursday)," Myalato said.
He apologised to residents for the inconvenience. Attempts to get comment from Ward 6 Councillor Nombulelo Masoma were unsuccessful by the time of going to press.