The municipality’s spokesperson, McCaswell Khumalo, tells OFM News that the issue of sewage spillages are being attended to on a regular basis, but the municipality only has one sewer jetting machine that is used to unblock sewers. 

This comes after residents in Extension 11 and 15 raised concerns about the sewage spillages in which they claim that it has been happening for over six months and despite complaints, no help was ever offered.

Khumalo says the municipality cannot cope because the community is throwing foreign objects into the sewerage system which blocks the system.

“It's either to sabotage or untrained community members blocking the system deliberately. The municipality is forced to go back to unblock the same points over and over again derailing the sewer maintenance programme. The sewer jetting machine uses water at high pressure to unblock the sewers,” he adds.

Khumalo says the municipality is installing new pipes to allow pressure to reach Extension 11 to 15.

“To date, the old pipes are making it hard for water to reach those areas, but with these new and bigger pipes water will be able to reach those areas as there will be huge pressure on these pipes. Recently, Sedibeng Water stopped the plant at Balkfontein due to a shortage of dosing chemicals. To recharge the empty pipes and reservoirs to reasonable levels takes time hence the effect on the sewer maintenance Programme,” Khumalo further adds.

 OFM News