A resident in Shirley Park is sitting with her hands in her hair after sewage water from the Bellville Wastewater Treatment Plant’s main sewage pipe is flowing into her backyard on a regular basis – so regular it has “at least” been five times this year due to a blockage, explained Sarie du Toit, the resident residing in Stikland.
The issue
Du Toit has been residing in her (then) parents house since 1972 when the family moved to the area, who has since then complained about the sewage water running into their backyard. Fifty years later and the problem still arises frequently with little to no response from the City of Cape Town officials, said Du Toit.
“The (sewage) problem started more than 15 years ago, but then only when it rained a lot. However, as the area developed and more people moved in, (the overflow of the sewage water) started to happen much more often,” according to Du Toit.
“The Bellville Wastewater Treatment Plant’s main sewage pipe is in the Stikland Cemetery, and it gets blocked very often which pushes the water up into my backyard,” Du Toit explains.
The main sewer pipe that the Stikland area’s sewer system connects to, runs parallel to Du Toit’s boundary wall which separates her house from the cemetery. As a result, the sewage water running through the cemetery gets blocked in the main pipe, and leaks through Du Toit’s outside drain looking for an outlet, which covers the whole of her backyard.
“The last few times more than half of my backyard was full of sewage, and it pushed up to my back door steps, and even into the drain of my kitchen sink,” Du Toit says, who indicated that the last time it happened was in early August.
The City offered little assistance up to this point, Du Toit explains, who says she has contacted the City six times during the course of this year.
Du Toit has, however, expressed gratitude towards the local ward councillor, Annelize van Zyl, who has also reported the sewage leak to City officials.
In recent months Van Zyl also arranged for the City to send a camera into the pipeline to see where the problem was. Unfortunately, she could not give feedback on our last contact, but said she would follow up,” according to Du Toit.
City’s response
According to Annelize van Zyl, Ward 3 councillor, she is aware of the problem Du Toit is facing, and explained that her complaints are not “unfounded”.
“The problem lies in the Stikland Cemetery where the main sewerage pipe runs, and as far as I am aware the City knows of the problem Du Toit is facing,” she says.
Van Zyl further explains that she has been notified by the City that the main sewage pipe in the cemetery has been cleaned, and a manhole has been created to improve the sewage connection from Du Toit’s side to the main line in the cemetery.
