Sewage leaks mars Delta Park’s iconic Cosmos season

BY KOFI ZWANA

Every autumn, Delta Park transforms into a sea of pink and white as cosmos flowers bloom, drawing thousands of visitors to one of Johannesburg’s most beloved green spaces.

But this year, the beauty of the season is being overshadowed by a persistent and unpleasant problem: recurring sewage leaks.

For decades, the park has been a refuge for residents seeking calm in the city.

“I can tell you, not from my point of view, but from thousands of people who come here. People absolutely love it. You just get a very calm, warm vibe here,” said longtime volunteer Shirley Tebbutt, who has been walking and working in the park since the 1970s.

From dog walkers and cyclists to families and runners, Delta Park serves a wide cross-section of Johannesburg’s community.

The annual cosmos bloom has only amplified its popularity.

Originally introduced from South America during the Boer War, the flowers have spread across two large fields in the park, growing taller and denser each year.

 At peak bloom, the turnout is overwhelming, with parking areas overflowing and pathways packed with visitors capturing photos among the towering flowers.

Yet beneath this natural spectacle lies an ongoing infrastructure challenge. The park’s history as a former sewage plant, established in the 1930s, means a complex network of aging pipes still runs beneath it, many of which frequently block or overflow.

“We have got 17 different sewerage places here… sometimes you’ve got three pipes coming into one pipe, and then you get a blockage.

You clear one blockage, and then down the line it blocks again,” Tebbutt explained. Responsibility for repairs lies with Johannesburg Water, but delays in response times have frustrated both volunteers and park users.

The impact is tangible. The park’s weekly parkrun, attracting up to 1 500 participants, has been cancelled due to sewage flooding along the route. Said Tebutt: “They don’t want to go sloshing through sewage”.

In the absence of swift municipal intervention, much of the maintenance burden falls on the community. Volunteers regularly clear drains, remove invasive plants, and even fund repairs through public donations.

This story is produced by Our City News, a nonprofit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg.