A local property owner says a continuous two-year battle with raw sewage overflows has exceeded the worst-case scenario, leaving her property deteriorating, tenants inconvenienced and insurance companies refusing to cover the ongoing damage.

Sharifa Daniels, the co-owner of 6 Naomi Street in Strand, has voiced deep frustration over what she describes as a lack of viable solutions and transparent communication from the City of Cape Town.

According to Daniels, the residential property has been repeatedly inundated with sewage, a crisis that is now actively destroying the home’s market value and structure.

“We are so tired of trying to appease our tenants and their neighbours for a situation that is not our doing and beyond our control,” Daniels said.

“What exactly is the answer to this sewerage issue that is escalating by the hour?”

no cover

The financial toll has escalated significantly. Daniels revealed that their private insurance company has officially removed the ongoing sewage issue from their policy coverage.

“The insurance company does not even want to cover this issue in our policy anymore, so we’ll sit with the expenses if the matter can be fixed. In the meantime, we dutifully pay our rates and taxes.”

Responding to calls to address the crisis, Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, acknowledged the severity of the situation at the Naomi Street address, attributing it to a rapidly failing local network.

“The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is aware of the ongoing sewer overflow incidents affecting the property at 6 Naomi Street,” Badroodien said. “The issue is linked to repeated collapses on the upstream sewer line, which have resulted in temporary surcharging at the head-of-line property.”

Badroodien revealed the staggering scale of the structural failure, noting that eight separate sewer collapses occurred on this specific section of the network between July 2025 and May this year alone.

“These incidents are associated with ageing sewer infrastructure and have required repeated reactive maintenance interventions while longer-term rehabilitation planning is underway,” Badroodien explained.

Following recent photos captured by the owners showing continuous, active sewage spills across the property two weeks ago, Badroodien confirmed that the City finally established a contractor on-site on Friday 15 May to address the latest two collapses.

bought a pump

To mitigate the immediate hazard to the residents, emergency interventions being deployed include a purchase order issued to install two mobile pumps designed to relieve the current sewer overflows caused by the structural collapses, and the City claims it is actively monitoring the conditions at 6 Naomi Street while these emergency repairs are carried out.

According to Badroodien, a long-term rehabilitation project is currently being finalised to upsize the entire affected sewer pipeline section.

“The anticipated commencement date for this project is the beginning of July 2026,” Badroodien confirmed.

“While the City will continue to respond to any interim collapses as they occur, the rehabilitation project is the intended permanent solution to address the structural failures on this line and reduce the recurrence of overflows at affected properties.”

According to the resident, although the pumps were set up, this has not solved the problem at 6 Naomi Street and the sewer water is still flowing strongly.