Cape Town - The residents of Khayelitsha are pining their hopes on having their sewer and drain spills problems being addressed at last.
This comes after the minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu came to witness first-hand the extent of the spillages.
Last month angry residents of Khayelitsha took to the streets and blockaded roads to draw attention to their plight.
Khayelitsha Development Forum’s chairperson Ndithini Tyhido said the minister came for a specific case.
“We exploited the minister’s visit to the woman who pleaded with him to come see the problems she was faced with, and showed him the extent of the spills around Khayelitsha,” he said.
He said Mchunu had directed his office to engage with community stakeholders and could come up with a solution.
Tyhido said they accepted that there were criminal elements who were vandalising the sewer stations.
“Crime is no excuse not to give services to people because people did not choose to live in areas that have crime,” he said.
He added that Mchunu gave them hope that something will be done.
the City of Cape Town says teams were clearing sewer blockages and overflows daily. In some cases, they had to be escorted into the area by law enforcement to ensure the safety of their staff and vehicles, targeted by ’opportunists’ .
The operational teams also engaged with ward councillors to assist with accompanying them when necessary.
Mayor Dan Plato said they had informed the minister that the city had a plan to address the issues raised, which were aggravated by vandalism at local pump stations.
“Illegal dumping into drains and theft of drain covers has cost the city over R6 million to repair,” he said.
Mchunu informed the mayor that the different spheres of government must collaborate to safeguard the dignity of communities.
“There is a need for urgent action to alleviate the situation of the communities affected by the sewer spillages,” said Mchunu.
Mchunu said in order to curb vandalism his department, the city and other stakeholders would do more to raise awareness about its effects.
He said to deal with sewer spillages in the short to medium term, the delegation agreed that a multidisciplinary team comprising the city, the department of Water and Sanitation, Human Settlements and other key stakeholders would be formed.
Weekend Argus