Sewage stench in suburbia

Residents in Constantia Kloof Road and Okkerneut Street, Constantia Kloof, have been dealing with a broken sewage drain for days and Johannesburg Water has been less than helpful in dealing with the issue.

On 14 August Jacqui De Oliveira, principal of Caterpillar Club House Nursery School on Constantia Kloof Road, found the bottom of the school’s premises drenched in sewage. It seeped beneath the wall into the yard of neighbour Pat Bosman, where it ran along the wall of her yard, down her driveway, and down Okkerneut Street.

Since 14 August De Oliveira has logged numerous calls with Johannesburg Water, and was assured that the matter had been escalated to the appropriate departments. Yet after waiting almost an entire week, no one came to repair it.

“We contacted commercial plumbers to come and fix the problem,” said De Oliveira, who was prepared to pay to get the problem sorted out as quickly as possible. “But when they arrived and assessed the issue, they said it was a municipal sewage line and they weren’t allowed to fix it.”

“The stench was unbearable,” stated Bosman “Partly dissolved toilet paper and human waste washed all over my driveway and people had to walk/drive through it. It was highly offensive, not to mention very unhygienic for the kids in the nursery school behind my home.”

De Oliveira and Johannesburg Water have since confirmed that the problematic drain has been fixed.