GOOD Statement by Siyabulela Mamkeli,
GOOD Western Cape Councillor
13 September 2024
The Manenberg community, particularly the area known as “The Sevens” and Sabie Road, continues to be tormented by persistent and unbearable sewer blockages.
This has left residents living in deplorable and toxic conditions where they are forced to inhale the stench of raw sewage on a daily basis.
While proactive measures in the past assured far fewer blockages, it seems the DA-led City of Cape Town has abandoned the critical project of a long-overdue sewer replacement.
The project is essential to avoid the impending collapse of this crucial infrastructure. Yet, the City’s Water and Sanitation Department has shown a disconcerting lack of urgency in addressing the issue, failing to allocate the necessary budget to provide relief for the people of Manenberg.
The initial so-called “patchwork repairs” were only done after my persistent efforts to pressure the City into action during my time as a ward councilor, while the recent haphazard attempt at addressing the sewer issue in Sabie Road was little more than an opportunistic scramble for votes.
The project, inadequately planned and poorly executed, was doomed for failure.
In fact, City engineers themselves admitted that the new pipelines would likely create additional problems upstream. True to their warning, it took less than two weeks after the repairs near Manenberg Library for the situation to deteriorate even further.
This situation is exacerbated by the Urban Waste Management Department’s failure to keep the area clean. Debris and uncollected waste routinely clog the stormwater drain system, compounding the crisis and further degrading the already dire living conditions.
I urge Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Dr. Zahid Badroodien, the Water and Sanitation Mayoral Committee Member, to commit to meaningful action.
The City must allocate a proper budget to permanently resolve this crisis, not as a mere public relations stunt, but because the people of Manenberg deserve better.
The continued sewer blockages in both Manenberg and Wesbank are symptomatic of a broader collapse in sewer infrastructure across Cape Town, revealing the DA-led City’s failure to prioritise investment in impoverished and marginalised communities.
The City is failing in its constitutional obligation to create a dignified and livable environment for its residents.
Media Enquiries:
Siyabulela Mamkeli, GOOD: Western Cape Councillor
Cell: 0781591251
Email: siya.mamkeli@gmail.com
Janke Tolmay, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 073 367 1223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za