City of Ekurhuleni drowning in human waste
Media Statement by Cllr. Simon Lapping — DA Ekurhuleni Spokesperson for Water, Sanitation and Energy
Date: 22 January 2024
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
The DA has been inundated with calls from residents regarding the increase in sewage overflows across the City. Over the last few months what was one of the most efficient departments in the municipality is now floundering and has finds itself in crisis. It is clear that the EFF/ANC -led Coalition and the EFF MMC, Cllr. Thembi Msane, have no idea of how the sanitation department needs to be managed.
On the 17th of January 2024, the DA raised concern about sewage leaks in Elandsfontein where residents’ homes were found knee-deep in sewage. Sewage has been bubbling from the manholes in their yards and has been exacerbated by the increasing rainfall. Despite numerous complaints to the City from the DA Ward 92 Councillor, Cllr. Kade Guerreiro, in the area rainwater and sewage have severely flooded their properties and have become a health risk, affecting not only the foundations of their properties but their future value. Similar to this is the sewage overflow issue in Bonaero Park which the DA has been dealing with for several years. Sewage from the pump station often floods the properties of residents in the area. Residents have been waiting for years to have an outfall sewer pipeline installed which has been marred by contractor payment and management issues. DA Ward 23 Councillor, Gerald Goslin, has recently conducted a site visit of several affected sites in the area to try and find a resolution to this issue.
Benoni is another area of major concern, where a sewer line blockage and broken pump station have resulted in raw sewage being pumped into the Civic Lake near Lakeside Mall. The fountain of raw sewage has been overflowing for months. Although it has been reported numerous times to the City, the City has not been able to attend to this issue within its agreed Service Delivery Agreement (SLA) due to “technical challenges” and prolonged unresolved service delivery backlogs.
The unrepaired sewage pump station in Spartan is one of the more recent incidents where countless litres of sewage have been left to low unabated into the greater Illiondale Wetland. The issues have remained unresolved since July 2023 when the property was damaged by a waste management company that caught fire. Despite assurances from the metro, the pump station has not been functioning, a manmade trench has been dug to temporarily alleviate the volume of sewage on the property, which has since been flowing into the wetland and nearby river systems. Numerous complaints have been received by the DA Ward 18 Councillor, Ald. Heather Hart, for the raw sewage smell that now pervades the area.
The DA Spokesperson for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Cllr. Simon Lapping has also raised alarm about the increasing waste issues in the Kempton Park area.
According to Cllr. Lapping, Kempton Park has now become a cesspool of sewerage with serious complaints taking up to two months to be resolved. Kempton Park is experiencing daily sewerage problems, and this is over and above all the complaints regarding burst pipes. It is alleged that the depot manager and several other operational managers in the area have left the employ of the city thus leaving vacancies for 3 operation and depot management positions, this is further complicated by the fact that only three vehicles out of seven are operating for an area of over 200,000 residents.
The DA will therefore be asking questions in the upcoming Council Meeting to determine the number of vacancies as well as the number of operational vehicles across the City as the sewage issue across the City has become dire.
Sewerage is a health risk that needs to be attended to immediately not weeks later as is currently the situation. Since her appointment, the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, has only been seen at the opening of an upgraded electricity substation in Alberton and has been seemingly silent on the sewage issue that is currently engulfing the City. Considering the devastating impact that years of mismanagement under the ANC have had on the City of Tshwane, its waste management plants, and the quality of its drinking water, one would think that the MMC would prioritise the upgrading and maintenance of waste treatment plants and water pipelines. The MMC should redirect her attention from easy political photo opportunities and should instead focus on dealing directly with the matters that are currently affecting the health of our residents and the environment.
Under the DA-led coalition, a process was initiated to overhaul service delivery deports to improve the level of services rendered to residents, in particular waste management and wastewater treatment. The DA while in government also initiated a City-wide vehicle audit to ensure that all depots have adequate vehicles to perform their functions. These initiatives have been seemingly abandoned under the EFF/ ANC-led coalition with officials hiding behind “technical challenges” to compensate for the lack of vehicles, poor performance, and a lack of technical human capacity. A complete overhaul of the City’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) process is also required to ensure value for money regarding equipment and spares that are being procured. If this is not implemented immediately the City of Ekurhuleni will face the total collapse of its wastewater treatment system which will have dire consequences on the health of residents and the environment.
Media Enquiries
Cllr. Simon Lapping
DA Ekurhuleni Spokesperson for Water, Sanitation and Energy
078 350 5063
