Residents in Eindhoven, Delft were trapped in their homes after when they had their yards were flooded with poo water because a sewage drain was blocked by hokkies.
Simon Williams, who lives in Albany Street said they have had this problem for almost a week more than six days and contacted the City of Cape Town Sewerage Water Department countless times.
“The trucks come here and open the drains in the road then close them up again and say there’s nothing they can do and just drive off again,” he added.
“One truck driver told my neighbour they discovered that one of the shacks on the field was erected on top of a sewage drain and they can’t get to it to clean that blocked drain.
“Our yards are filled with poo and poo water and my neighbours and I have kids that must live in these terrible stink conditions and all the City of Cape Town says is that they can’t do anything about it.
“We had to lay bricks so that we could at least get out of the yard. My neighbour fell in this poo water because she had to walk on the bricks and injured herself. The smell is bad and we can smell it inside the house.
“We had the same issue happen two weeks ago and now again.”
The City’s Mayco member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the City’s underground infrastructure is being encroached on by informal dwellings.
“As a result, it is challenging to clear sewer blockages as the jetting trucks and pumps cannot access the underground infrastructure,” Badroodien added.
“In the meantime, the sewer is being pumped directly from the affected area daily to provide relief in the area. This daily routine must be maintained until such time that workers can access the manholes.”