Sewage leak spoils Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens
Resident complains – nothing has been done about a sewage leak in Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens.
Local resident, Jerome West, has discovered a sewage leak in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens.
West first discovered the leak about a month ago during a photo-walk down the kloof with the Joburg Photowalkers group. West explained that they found the leak just upstream from the Manie Mulder Waterfall. It was reported to Joburg Water by the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch.
He went down the kloof again on 14 July to see if anything had been done to fix the leak –and to his dismay, found that nothing had been done. He duly informed the neighborhood watch and the situation was reported again and forwarded to Ward 83 councillor, Suzanne Clarke, whose ward covers part of the gardens.
West wrote in a personal blog that the state of the kloof was terrible as he has found vagrants and rubbish in the area, as well as the slow destruction of the natural environment.
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“As a local resident, firstly we are not happy about the state of the entire trail at the bottom of the kloof and along the ridges. The water is so polluted. Litter everywhere. Indigenous trees are being cut down for firewood.
Plants are being dug up for muti. Caves are being dug for whatever reason. And nothing is being done about it,” said West.
Ward 98 councillor, Leah Knott, said Joburg Water was going to send someone out to the gardens on 15 July. However, this has not been confirmed. She also requested urgent intervention by the MMC of Environment and Infrastructure Service Department and the director of Region C.
Joburg Water has escalated the matter to its customer service department but no comment had been received by the time of publication.
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