Durban -
Imagine you are preparing a meal or washing dishes when the stench of sewage comes from your kitchen sink.
This is what the residents of the low-cost houses in KwaMashu have endured since the beginning of the year.
Business couple Shauwn and S’bu Mpisane, who own Zikhulise Cleaning, Maintenance and Transport, built the three-roomed houses after winning a R20.5 million tender from the eThekwini Municipality.
“It is humiliating to host visitors because my house stinks,” said resident Bongani Sondezi.
Sondezi, who worked for Zikhulise as a concrete mixer during the construction of the houses, said the problem was that the kitchen drain pipe was connected to the sewerage pipe.
“The kitchen pipe should be draining into the concrete drainage system and not into the toilet pipe.
“I’m no longer excited to have the house because it is full of problems,” said Sondezi.
The houses, in section B6, were built as part of a rectification programme.
The municipality identified 40 low-cost housing projects that were problematic and needed to be “rectified”.
In 2001 a section 21 company, Effingham Housing, built more than 100 two-roomed houses in section B in KwaMashu.
The 30m2 houses were too small and, in some cases, dangerously constructed.
In 2010 the municipality issued a tender to Zikhulise to rectify the shoddy workmanship.
The old houses were demolished and, last year, new, bigger houses were built.
During the construction, occupants lived in a transit camp. They then moved back late last year.
“Besides excrement coming out of my kitchen and shower area, the house has developed cracks and some roof tiles are missing,” said John Mdlalose.
Nokuthula Hlatshwayo became so desperate that she closed the drain pipe of her kitchen sink.
“The sewage is often pushed back and fills the toilet bowl. It is sickening,” she said.
Ethekwini Municipality spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said the municipality had paid the Mpisane couple R15.3m for building 74 houses.
Mofokeng said the National Home Builders’ Registration Council, which approves the quality of houses, had been involved throughout construction.
However, he could not say whether the council had issued certificates for the houses.
S’bu Mpisane said the company was not responsible for installing pipes and electricity, but he declined to say who was and hung up.
Mofokeng said Zikhulise was responsible for plumbing.
Councillor Dumisani Ngema said the project was in its “snagging period” to identify and correct faults.
“That project has not yet been handed over. Inspectors are still going to go there. It is too early for people to start with their negative comments,” he said.
Residents said their complaints had fallen on deaf ears, but Mofokeng denied that the municipality had received complaints.
He said action would be taken against Zikhulise if it was found that it had performed poorly.
The Mercury