Sewer blockages cleared every eight minutes costs City millions

23 October 2025

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate attended to 110 598 sewer blockages across its more than 9000 km sewer pipeline network during the 2024/2025 financial year, at a cost of R228 million. Up to 60% of these blockages can be prevented and are directly caused by misuse of the sewer system and illegal dumping of foreign objects, rags, building material, fats and oil. On average, the City clears one misuse-related blockage every eight minutes.

Illegal dumping into the sewer system comes at a steep cost to the City.

Of the R228 million spent on maintenance, about R137 million went towards clearing preventable blockages caused by items that should never have entered the system. That is an estimated R11,4 million every month, or R376 000 daily. The remaining R91 million was spent on clearing blockages related to other causes such as sand and tree roots.

Adding to the strain on financial resources is valuable time spent responding to preventable sewer blockages.

On average, the City clears one misuse-related blockage every eight minutes, costing around R2 000 per call out for the time, equipment and materials needed for the repair. This excludes cases that significantly drive costs up, where specialised vehicles (such as jetting or vacuum tankers), cleaning, disinfection and additional security for operational teams working in high-risk areas, are required.

‘Every time someone flushes or dumps wet wipes, rags, rubble, and other items that don’t belong in the sewer, it places an exorbitant burden on our resources. It is especially frustrating when incidents take place repeatedly and the City is obligated to respond to an avoidable problem.

‘Toilets and manholes should not be used as dustbins. We need residents to assist us in reducing these costs by treating all components of the sewer system with care. Each act of misuse costs money which could be better spent upgrading and improving infrastructure,’ said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

See below a monthly summary of incidents during FY 2024/2025:

Noticeably, more sewer blockages occur during winter rains from June – August, where stormwater ingress becomes another challenge.

The top 20 areas where the highest number of incidents were attended to include: Gugulethu, Strand, Delft, Philippi, Bonteheuwel, Lotus River, Nyanga, Manenberg, Bishop Lavis, Langa, Eerste Rivier, Bellville South, Wallacedene, Ruyterwacht, Hout Bay, Hanover Park, Mfuleni, Tafelsig, Ravensmead and Constantia.

‘We need to change our habits to turn this situation around and stop money from literally going down the drain,’ appealed Councillor Badroodien.

For more information about how to dispose of household waste appropriately, download our Bin it, don’t block it information pamphlet.

To arrange a community education and awareness activity in your area, email communications.waterandsanitation@capetown.gov.za

Caption 1: Dedicated teams withstand all weather conditions and at all hours, to clear blockages caused by items that should never be disposed of in the system. (Back) From left: Sizwe Magama, Jacque Issacs, Manonophela Mthethandaba, Anton Ceto (with Orange top), Dean Marlon, Nathan Lewis and Glenfrid Hendrics. Front: (from left): Vuyisa Dyasi and Marlon Petersen.

Caption 2: Constantia Depot’s operational team responds to a sewer blockage in Vrygrond.

Caption 3: After a sewer overflow, the affected area is cleansed and disinfected to protect public health and reduce environmental risk.

Caption 4: (Dropbox) The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate cleared over 110 000 sewer blockages in the 2024/2025  financial year.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office