Residents of Groenvlei are demanding a permanent solution from the Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality (CALM) to ongoing sewer spillages, saying temporary repairs have failed to resolve a problem that continues to threaten their health and quality of life.

Residents claim municipal officials regularly respond to reports of overflowing sewage but only provide short-term fixes. They allege that within a day or two of repairs being carried out, the sewer begins overflowing again.

SAHRC intervention requested

The persistent problem has prompted Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Litesia van der Walt to formally request the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to conduct an on-site assessment of the ongoing sewer overflows affecting residents on Hospital Street in Groenvlei.

According to Van der Walt, the situation on the ground contradicts the municipality’s assurances that the matter is under control. She said raw sewage continues to flow into residential yards and homes, while also posing a risk to residents’ boreholes and Joy Pre-School.

“The municipality is undermining the residents and putting their lives at risk. This is not something that started today; it has been happening for a long time without a permanent solution. The people who are sent to attend to the spillages only deal with the overflowing manhole and not the underlying problem in the underground pipes. It is just a quick fix, and a day later the same problem returns,” said Van der Walt.

Community calls out root-cause oversight

Affected residents echoed these concerns, saying the municipality’s response has not addressed the root cause of the recurring sewer overflows.

“We always call the municipality to attend to the problem, and sometimes it takes days before officials arrive. Even after they fix it, the sewer only stops overflowing for a day before it spills again. From what we have seen, the teams only inspect the manhole and do not check the underground pipes, which we believe are the main cause of the recurring problem,” said one resident.

Municipality outlines pipeline upgrade plans

In response, CALM spokesperson Thapelo Phetla said the municipality has a long-term intervention in place to permanently resolve the issue.

“We are currently implementing a major upgrade of the pipeline infrastructure in this area, which is now approximately 90% complete. This upgrade is a critical part of our strategy to address the root causes of recurring sewer spillages and provide a permanent solution for the community,” said Phetla.

He added that municipal teams conduct pipeline inspections as part of their standard operating procedure whenever they respond to sewer overflows.

“While we understand residents’ concerns that teams may appear to focus only on the manhole, we want to assure the community that our inspections are comprehensive. We are aware of the perception that only the manhole is being cleared, and we are committed to ensuring that our inspection processes are thorough and address issues within the underground pipes as well,” he said.

Addressing high-risk areas

Phetla also acknowledged that the municipality is fully aware of the risks posed to Joy Pre-School and nearby boreholes.

“We recognise the seriousness of this public health hazard and are treating it with the utmost priority. To mitigate these risks, the municipality is already visiting the affected manhole twice a week to monitor and manage the situation. In addition to these frequent site visits, we are accelerating efforts to complete the pipeline upgrade to eliminate the risk entirely and protect the health and safety of residents, especially young children,” he said.

Demands for accountability remain

Despite the municipality’s assurances, residents insist that only a permanent solution will restore their confidence. They emphasize that recurring sewer spillages continue to expose families to serious health risks and have called on the SAHRC to investigate the matter to ensure lasting action is taken.