Residents in Cape’s informal settlements struggle for sewerage services
Cape Town - Heaps of rubble fill street corners while murky faeces infested water run down the streets where children play and adults move around to nearby shops and transport hubs.
Residents from Wallacedene, Bloekombos and Site C Khayelitsha have called for the unhealthy conditions they have been subjected to since as early as April to be addressed.
Thando Dyamara, from Site C, said cars struggle to drive in the roads as a result of blocked drains and rubbish.
"We have complained to our ward councillor and written to the City of Cape Town, but to no avail. There are four blocked drains near my home causing sewage to overflow. The area reeks of human faeces, storm water drains are also blocked to a point where we can't even walk along the streets without walking in the green stinking water which is also causing potholes.
Nomveliso Ngubo, a mother of three from Taiwan informal settlement, concurred with Dyamara adding that the children in the area are forced to play in the filthy water as well as near heaps of rubble which have not been collected in months.
"The rubbish containers have been overflowing for months, and people have been forced to dump their garbage next to them instead of inside. We don't have parks or play areas here, so the children are forced to play in the dirty streets, play in the water and in the rubble. You can imagine the rats and maggots that nest there, so diseases are inevitable," she said.
Ward councillor Mlulami Vellem said the drainage problem is not in Site C but in Site B where the main system runs.
“The only way the problem will stop is if the city hires someone to man it on a full time basis," he said.
Vellem said the streets were cleaned but added that "sometimes the rubble gets too much, but there are people cleaning around here. I can not say residents' claims are invalid because that is how they feel and see things, but we have been doing all we need to do to ensure clean streets.“
Similarly, residents of Kraaifontein who marched to the municipal offices last week, said that their pleas for a clean and hygienic environment have fallen on deaf ears.
"I've lived here for about seven years. The area has its issues and problems, but service delivery is the worst of them. When we marched to the municipality, we had hoped that, by now, our issues would be resolved, but clearly, the government does not care about us. Some people have had to leave their homes because the smell is just unbearable. It gets worse when it is hot," said Nosizwe Nzana from Bloekombos.
Wallacedene resident Emilia Louw said potholes, blocked drains and rubble were part of their everyday lives.
"We've gotten used to it now, what else can we do because complaining doesn't help, but sometimes the younger people take the rubble and dump it in the open field. But that also is not the solution. Drains are always blocked,” she said.
Mayco member for water and waste, Xanthea Limberg said the rubbish could not be collected as there was a large number of informal settlements that popped up over the last few months and have not yet been registered for solid waste management.
"Once the settlement is registered, Human Settlements will request services on that particular property. Service provision is however dependent on resources being available in the current budget period. Currently, refuse build up in newly invaded areas is being removed with heavy lifters as often as resources allow."
Limberg added that land invasions were also obstructing the fixing of sewage overflows.
"The majority of sewer blockages (including in Wallacedene/Bloekombos) are caused by misuse or abuse of the system. Common causes of blockages include rags, newspapers, hygiene products, nappies, wet wipes, building materials, and cooking fat. Residents should note that it is illegal to flush or to allow any of these to enter the system on their property. We need your help to prevent overflows."
Weekend Argus