More ‘sewage houses’ in danger of collapse

MORE houses in the vicinity of Nobengula Street are at risk of caving in, as they are built on the same sewerage line as the homes that are collapsing in Absolom Crescent, Galeshewe.

Work began on May 6 to drain sewage water from a sinkhole that had formed in Absolom Crescent, following a protest by frustrated Club 2000 residents at Sol Plaatje Municipality this week over blocked drains and foul-smelling sewage overflowing into their homes.

The house and two flats at the centre of a dispute in Absolom Crescent were evacuated due to safety concerns. One of the flats had started disintegrating, while the house had to be demolished to access a collapsed sewage pipe located eight metres underground.

The remaining structures were demolished on Wednesday after a settlement was reached with the property owner, who had obtained an urgent interim interdict against Sol Plaatje Municipality on April 26.

Municipal manager Thapelo Matlala admonished residents who demanded urgent action on the sewage crisis, accusing them of “wasting his time while he was already doing his job" and saying he could be “dealing with the situation” instead.

He said the site had initially been deemed unsafe for workers.

“The municipality will be held accountable if anything happens. We have sophisticated machinery that can drain the water. The first house was demolished in Absolom Crescent in an attempt to address the sewage problem there. The problem started to get bigger when we realised that one of the flats was built on top of the sewerage line,” said Matlala.

He added that the municipality had instructed its lawyers to engage with the legal representative of the property owner, who had taken the matter to court to halt the demolition of his properties.

Matlala also told the residents that around R1.8 billion would be needed to address all sewage issues in the city. He noted that households in Nobengula Street, built on the same sewerage line, may need to be relocated.

“Club 2000 has a history of sewage issues. There is a unique problem where the sewerage pipeline runs under the foundations of the houses. We will need to do a thorough diagnosis and compile a comprehensive report on the sewerage network and spillages in Club 2000.”

Residents said they had been suffering since April 12 from foul odours, blocked toilets, respiratory illnesses, allergies and diarrhoea. A petition submitted to the municipality was signed by 58 affected residents.

Neighbours expressed fears that their homes might also collapse, as sewage water was seeping into their yards. They complained that municipal promises to apply chlorine to neutralise the unbearable stench had not materialised.

Community leader and Ward 31 resident Thabisho Louw criticised the municipality’s "don’t care" attitude, saying the issue had been left unattended for four weeks.

“The sinkhole poses a danger to children. Residents cannot eat, sleep or live in these conditions.”

Another affected resident, Tumelo Mosikare, pointed out that there had been no consequences for the engineer who failed to respond to the emergency, while lives were being placed at risk along the busy street.

“Anyone can fall into the sinkhole. What was a swimming pool of sewage turned into a river. Why did the municipality not request assistance from engineers from the Frances Baard District Municipality or the Department of Public Works to prevent other properties in Nobengula Street and the immediate vicinity of the hole from collapsing? The interdict did not prevent the municipality from addressing the sewage that is a major health hazard.” 

He added that the affected house was only a symptom of a deeper issue.

“Whatever steps are taken are only temporary fixes as the Homevale wastewater treatment plant is still dysfunctional. All the houses in Nobengula Street will have to be dug up if they were constructed on the same sewerage line.”

Sol Plaatje executive mayor Martha Bartlett apologised to the community and instructed that a team be dispatched immediately to secure the area.

“The site is a danger zone as parts of the barricade were carried away. Throwing chemicals won’t get rid of the unbearable stench. Officials must go out and respond because it poses a health and safety risk. A lot of people will get sick and children may fall into the acidic water,” she said.

Bartlett said she was “very disturbed” that the situation had still not been addressed.

“I asked a team to go to the site last Tuesday. The engineer was attending to sewage problems in Diamond Park last week. I will call the team in and find out why they did not react. We all need to take responsibility, we cannot blame one person. The administration must be held accountable,” she added.