City spends R1 million in five months tackling Wesbank’s sewer blockages
28 February 2025
Almost 700 sewer-related service requests were logged in Wesbank in one year, between January 2024 and January 2025. Data collected over the past 39 months further indicates that 69% of these incidents were caused by foreign objects being illegally dumped or incorrectly disposed of into the sewer network.
The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate held a public meeting in Wesbank on Tuesday, 25 February 2025, to engage residents on the ongoing sewer blockages and overflows affecting the area.
Since October 2024, the City has spent almost R1 million addressing sewer-related problems in Wesbank alone.
Operational teams working in the area are also confronted with additional challenges when attending to service requests, including:
Burning of tyres and cables over manhole covers, making them brittle, which leads to them breaking under the weight of car traffic. This then results in manholes remaining open and exposed.
Items such as car tyres, vehicle dashboards, dead animals, concrete blocks, large stones, rags and sandbags being found within these open manholes, causing severe and recurring blockages.
The financial impact of attending to these issues is substantial.
‘The Wesbank sewer pump station has also suffered damage due to foreign objects and rubble entering the system, which have clogged inlets and damaged mechanical equipment. All of our efforts to ensure a properly functioning sewer system will be in vain, if communities do not work with us by using the infrastructure correctly,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
Ward 19 in Wesbank, has been earmarked to have 8400m of sewer pipes replaced in future. Unfortunately, implementation of the critical upgrades has been delayed due to safety risks for contractors.
In an effort to raise awareness about these challenges, various community engagement initiatives have been undertaken including school visits, door-to-door awareness campaigns and outreach at shopping centres. During these one-on-one engagements, information is shared to educate residents on the dangers of misusing the sewer system and the long-term consequences of vandalism and illegal dumping.
‘We are calling on Wesbank residents to join hands with the City, to help turn the situation around. Sewer overflows in the area can be reduced, if households and businesses dispose of waste more responsibly, as well as keep manhole covers intact.
‘The City will continue to uphold its commitment to responding to service requests diligently, and also to proactively clean or upgrade the network where possible. Our education drives are ongoing, to help equip residents with tips on where and how to get rid of waste properly, which will have a direct impact on improving cleanliness in the streets through reduced sewer overflows.
‘During the meeting, feedback from the residents included that they are concerned that vandalism of the sewer system happens at night when no one is able to see who the culprits are and that this sabotaging of the network is having a major impact on them all.
‘The high number of service requests in Wesbank does raise concerns about the potential of deliberate misuse of the sewer system.
‘If residents see any individuals vandalising sewer infrastructure, tampering with manhole covers or dumping foreign objects into the sewer system, please report it immediately. The information provided remains confidential when you call 0800 11 00 77, and if it leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property by the City’s Law Enforcement or Metro Police, you could be eligible for a reward of up to R5 000,’ said Councillor Badroodien.
What you can do:
When using the toilet, only flush toilet paper and human waste. Nothing else.
Dispose of cooking oil and food scraps in the bin, not down the kitchen sink.
Bin it. Don’t block it. Litter and other household waste such as earbuds, rags, sanitary pads, nappies and wet wipes, belong in the bin - not the toilet or drain.
Encourage friends and neighbours to dispose of waste responsibly.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
