Multi-million rand sewer project tackles ageing infrastructure at Helen Joseph Hostel

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29-01-2026
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Alex News
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As the sewer reticulation project progresses, community leaders urge residents to support the upgrade and keep children away from construction zones.

The multi-million rand sewer reticulation replacement project at Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel has broken ground, with contractors working to replace hundreds of metres of ageing pipes, despite logistical challenges.

Community liaison officer for the project in Ward 107, Selina Nkuna, confirmed that work began on December 2 and is scheduled for completion by April, provided heavy rains do not disrupt progress.

Last year, Alex News reported that the R9m project would create opportunities for local small businesses and employment when the project was unveiled on October 3 at the hostel.

At least two Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in the construction industry were to be appointed, and around 10 local labourers hired to support the work.

Nkuna said that while SMMEs submitted profiles and underwent vetting, appointments are still pending. However, Nkuna explained that women from the hostel were employed on the project, while men were recruited from Ward 107.
She emphasised that the project is not politically motivated but rather a community initiative aimed at improving living conditions for hostel residents.

Furthermore, she raised concerns about practices within the hostel that threaten progress. “There are people who pour out their used water through windows, and sometimes it spills on us,” she said, adding that children sometimes play near trenches.

Ward 107 councillor Floyd Ngwenya also raised similar concerns, urging residents at the hostel to refrain from disturbing the contractors working on the ground.

“I have received numerous complaints of children playing near barricaded areas where Johannesburg Water is [working].”

He said residents should ensure that children do not play in those areas to avoid any accidents.

Ngwenya also condemned the practice of pouring water out of windows, warning that it could delay progress.

He announced plans to convene a meeting at the hostel to update residents on the project’s progress and outstanding work.

The project was first announced last year by Johannesburg Water and the city’s Human Settlements department. At the time, Human Settlements MMC Mlungisi Mabaso acknowledged that the hostel’s decades-old sewer system had deteriorated under the strain of a growing population and poor maintenance, leading to sewage flooding and severely impacting residents’ quality of life.

Mabaso said that is why they were contracting a company to deal with the sewer issues and install new pipes.

Alex News has reached out to Johannesburg Water for clarity regarding the delayed appointment of SMMEs and will provide an update once a response is received.