Wesbank residents struggle with sewerage crisis, turning to makeshift solutions

Wesbank residents have faced a seven-year sewerage crisis, with overflow into their homes. They have resorted to makeshift solutions like tyres, while the City of Cape Town acknowledges ongoing vandalism as the cause.

Siyabulela Mamkeli, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor, said the situation has worsened along the corners of Monticello and Flower Streets, and that residents have resorted to constructing a makeshift gutter and are experiencing sewerage overflowing into their homes and into the public road.

Mamkeli has called on the City to immediately: deploy emergency sewer vacuum, jetting and sanitation teams; remove sewage from both private properties and public roads; commission an independent technical assessment of collapsed sewer infrastructure in Wesbank; commit to the permanent replacement of failing sewer pipelines; and allocate a ring-fenced budget for long-term sewer upgrades in working-class communities.

“The sewer crisis in Wesbank remains unresolved and has significantly deteriorated, despite sustained efforts by GOOD to raise and address these issues since 2019,” Mamkeli said.

He explained that in September 2024, residents resorted to placing one tyre over a sewer manhole in an attempt to suppress the overflow of raw sewage. “Today, that same sewer manhole is covered by a pile of approximately ten tyres, a grim and unmistakable illustration of how the City of Cape Town has allowed this crisis to escalate through its inaction.

“Even more alarming, residents have now been forced to construct a makeshift DIY water gutter, using scrap materials to channel overflowing sewage from inside a private home into the public road. 

"This situation reflects a profound failure by the Water and Sanitation Department, under the political leadership of MMC Zahid Badroodien and Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Whether due to poor leadership or a lack of political will, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has failed to act decisively to alleviate the suffering of the Wesbank community.”

He added that residents also faced health risks while having to breathe in an unbearable stench. 

The City’s Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, said they were aware of the ongoing sewer overflows in parts of Wesbank: “We recognise the frustration and distress experienced by residents who have had to endure repeated blockages, primarily due to ongoing vandalism and misuse of the sewer network, and the associated health and quality of life impacts.”

Badroodien said operational teams were dispatched to the affected areas yesterday (Wednesday) and that the sewer lines were unblocked and the impacted areas were cleaned and disinfected to mitigate public health risks.

He explained that there has been much damage and tampering of infrastructure. “It is important to clarify that the sewer network in Wesbank has the design capacity to accommodate normal household flows. The primary cause of recurring overflows in this area is not system capacity constraints, but ongoing vandalism, tampering with manholes, and the discharge of foreign objects into the network.

Badroodien said the Water and Sanitation Directorate previously advertised pipe replacement work in Wesbank under existing framework tenders, but contractors declined due to safety concerns and insufficient safety provisions in the current contracts.

He added that the framework ends in June 2026, with a new replacement tender at the award stage. This new contract includes enhanced safety allowances, and the Directorate plans to re-advertise the Wesbank pipe replacement work in the new financial year once the contract is active.