A broken sewage pipe in Korhaan Street, Somerset West, was first reported at the beginning of April, but three months and at least 17 service requests later, nothing has been done on-site by the City of Cape Town, as raw sewage continues to seep all over the affected property.
Numerous emails have also been sent back and forth between residents, Ward 15 councillor Greg Peck and officials within the City’s Water and Sanitation Department, but according to the resident, only false promises are made and service requests are closed despite no resolution to the problem.
“We have sat with this disgusting smell and mess for months now and have heard excuse after excuse, but nothing gets done,” the resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “It is absolutely ridiculous that an overflowing sewer is left unattended for this long.”
The resident added that departmental officials requested a meeting, but the resident declined.
“I don’t know how a meeting is going to help the situation and why we’re only at meeting stage – and not at repair stage. Time for talking, emails and false promises are over now. We need this repaired immediately; we have been waiting for three, going on four months now.”
Email correspondence from the branch manager for reticulation within the department, Pierre Maritz, stated the meeting had gone ahead with the Peck and the head of sewer conveyance, where possible solutions were discussed.
He added that supply timelines, contractor details and contact numbers would be shared with the affected residents.
The resident said City workers had arrived on site last weekend and “all they did was dig a trench next to our hedge to divert the sewerage running into the road”. The problem still persists.
When approached for comment on the ongoing issue, Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation, confirmed the directorate is aware of the service request and has appointed a service provider to do the necessary repairs.
“We have been in communication with the affected resident multiple times and also attempted a site visit to discuss the issue, but unfortunately, the resident was not available during our visit. Currently final arrangements are being made for the repairs and work will begin once finalised. The City regrets any inconvenience caused during this time.”
