Building rubble dumped illegally into the sewer system has been identified as the root cause of weeks-long overflow problems affecting the Swartklip sewer line area in Mitchells Plain.
Subcouncil 12 has expressed serious concern over the ongoing sewer overflow that has affected the community over the past several weeks, with officials now confirming the cause following extensive investigation.
City teams discovered large quantities of building rubble inside the sewer system after conducting excavation work in the affected area. The construction debris created obstructions in the sewer infrastructure, directly contributing to repeated blockages and subsequent overflow across many areas within Mitchells Plain.
Solomon Philander, chair of Subcouncil 12 and ward councillor for Ward 116, strongly condemned what he termed “this act of sabotage”.
“The illegal dumping of building rubble and foreign objects into our sewer system is unacceptable and places an unnecessary burden on municipal infrastructure,” Philander said in a statement.
“More importantly, it poses serious health and environmental risks to the greater community.”
Subcouncil 12 has called on residents and contractors to work together with the City to prevent further damage to essential services, emphasising that the City has designated free waste disposal sites.
Disposal sites
The disposal sites are located in Strandfontein, Spine Road and Swartklip Road.
“Protecting our infrastructure is a shared responsibility,” Philander noted, adding that Subcouncil 12 remains committed to collecting wheelie bins once per week from households.
The matter affects the broader Mitchells Plain community, with officials urging residents to play their part in safeguarding public health and maintaining service delivery standards.
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“We urge the community to play their part in safeguarding public health and maintaining service delivery standards,” the statement concluded.
The area has had repeated sewerage problems due to aging infrastructure and pumpstation vandalism.
Last year, protesters in the neighbouring Vosho informal settlement cased a sewage pumpstation to be disconnected temporarily after protesters vandalised it.
The protest was due to the area’s illegal electricity connections to the pump station being disconnected.
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