Informal settlement dwellers who have been “swimming in poo water” have had to abandon their homes after a sewage pipe burst.
The Taliban and Dubai residents in Khayelitsha says their homes have been flowing over with popo since the heavy rains in August.
Xolisani Nkqintamo says: “Some people decided to move to their relatives and some put shacks elsewhere.
“We have been reporting [the situation] but the municipality doesn’t respond as fast as we would like.
“It’s difficult to eat because of the smell, children have rashes and they have been told not to attend school because of the rashes.
“We want them to come and fix the drains, but we were told that the City couldn’t give us basic services.
“We want the City to relocate us where they can give us the services, we don’t have water, we have to connect illegally.”
Councillor Anele Gabuza said his office reported the matter, saying: “They said that the blockage was in Welcome Zenzile in Kuyasa and that they would start fixing from there, but nothing has happened on this side.
“The problem is that the water ran into people’s homes. People abandoned their homes.”
He says that the residents built their shacks on sewer pipes, adding: “The residents have lived on that land for more than 10 years. They built on sewer pipes and the City said they can’t get sanitation because the land was meant for a park and not residential. The solution is to relocate the people to a place where they can get the basic necessities if they can’t be provided services there.”
The City of Cape Town’s Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the blockage had been cleared, however, operational teams were still following up on other sewer lines that were affected by this blockage
He said: “The City is attending to this matter and is making every effort to resolve the matter in the shortest possible time. The City regrets any inconvenience during this time.”
Badroodien also commented that the City of Cape Town's Informal Settlement Management department had no record of current relocations, as well as planned relocations in the pipeline for the residents of the Taliban and Dubai informal settlements.
“The City continues to do all it can to assist residents in vulnerable areas, where it is feasible to do so,” Badroodien said.
Mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za