SEWAGE LEAK A PROBLEM IN MARSELLE SINCE SEPTEMBER
Asewage leak in Marselle has caused anger among community members as a stench emanates from the spill, especially when it’s hot.
People complain that the smell is going to make them sick and they fear their children will also contract a disease from the leak because it is in between their houses.
The leak started at the beginning of September and it was reported to the municipal offices in Kenton. Workers have attended the scene twice, and started digging there, but left without fixing the problem.
Property owner Fezekile Ziqula, who is affected by the sewage leak the most, expressed how displeased he was with the municipality and how slowly they attend to issues that need immediate attention. “I never thought it would take this long to fix this.
“We keep on hearing about problems from the municipality instead of them giving us solutions,” Ziqula said.
“It’s such a shame that they know that we exist only when it’s time for us to vote for them. We only want this problem to be fixed. It’s been months now since we have reported this and the smell is really unbearable,” he said.
Another community member, Malibongwe Klaas, who also lives close by, shared the same sentiments about the municipality and how the smell was affecting them.
“They came recently and did some digging in the place where it’s leaking but they didn’t stay. After that they left without informing us when they are coming back again, but the following day we saw them driving past here in the same van they came with. We really need this leak to be taken care off. We have had enough of the smell. Can somebody come and fix this problem once and for all,” Klaas said.
Municipal spokesperson Cecil Mbolekwa said that the leaks were caused by concrete stones blocking the manholes.
“The team is currently busy removing the stones to unblock the system,” he said.
“The delays are caused by the use of TLB – understand that there is one TLB that services the entire municipal area. We are confident that our team will work hard to finish the work,” said Mbolekwa.