A family in Du Plessis Street, Strand, may finally see relief from a year-long battle with recurring raw sewage overflows and a hazardous sinkhole.

This after the City of Cape Town confirmed that an emergency contractor will be deployed to address the issue next week.

The residents of 33 Du Plessis Street, who moved into the property last August, have endured severe infrastructure failures for the past 11 months. Both the family and their landlord have faced ongoing environmental and health hazards, with raw sewage regularly flooding their front and back yards.

The crisis began during last winter’s heavy winter rains, shortly after the family moved in. Both household toilets backed up and became unusable for days at a time.

A private plumber determined that the problem stemmed from the City’s aging underground main lines. During significant rainfall, municipal manholes on the property overflow, sending raw sewage and toilet paper across the garden.

“When the rain stops, the sewage remains on the grass and paving,” the resident explained. “The smell becomes unbearable as it sits in the sun.”

At its worst, sewage has backed up into the home, spilling onto bathroom floors. The family has been forced to drive to nearby shopping centres to use restrooms, keep their dogs indoors and wade through raw effluent to reach their vehicle.

The contamination has even seeped beneath boundary walls, flooding a neighbouring property.

Adding to their frustration is the City’s reporting application. Residents allege that service requests are frequently marked as “closed” while raw sewage continues to flow. Because closed tickets are automatically removed, tracking the extent of the issue has been nearly impossible.

The situation worsened when a high-pressure hose used by a municipal contractor collapsed an outlet drain, creating a hazardous sinkhole outside the property’s back gate. For months, the sinkhole has been obstructed only by sandbags.

When approached for comment, Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation, confirmed that a structural failure in the sewer pipeline was identified. “An emergency contractor is currently being appointed to undertake the required repair on Du Plessis Street,” he said. “We anticipate the contractor to be on site this week. In the meantime, the team has managed to maintain sewer flow on the line.”

Badroodien also acknowledged the issue of service requests being marked as “closed” while flooding persisted and confirmed that the City is investigating the matter. Regarding the sinkhole, he noted that its permanent repair is tied to the upcoming emergency works.

The residents claim they have frequently paid out-of-pocket for professional disinfection after municipal teams merely rinsed the yard with water. Badroodien stated that City teams clean to the “best of their abilities” but advised residents facing extensive cleanup costs to submit a public liability claim through the City’s website.

“It has felt like putting a band-aid on a colossal wound,” the resident said.