Athlone residents are up in arms after living with sewage spills in their homes for two months, causing their children to fall ill.
Residents living in Sunflower Close say they are gatvol of slapgat City of Cape Town officials who have failed to fix the underlying problems with their blocked drains.
Mom Olivia McKinnon, 42, says the problem first reared its stinky head in February when a drain outside her home became clogged, resulting in poo water flowing into the street.
“We called the City and they came and pumped and left again, but a few days later it was flowing again,” she says.
“Because I live at the end of the street, all this sh!t water flows into my house.
“I told them I am gatvol of this. They would not let this happen in other areas.”
She says the disgusting water pools outside her home each time there is a spill flow into her lounge.
“I don’t know what they did with the pipes but then after they came to work one day, the water started pushing up in my toilet.
“We can’t even clean the toilet because it overflows with this stinky water all the time.
“What is worse is that the water is now pushing up in my kitchen sink.
“Me and my whole family are naar and sick everyday.
“I started getting boils and my children have infections.
“They don’t care about us and how we must live.
“All they say is some pipes are broken and the City needs a contractor to come fix it.”
Mayco member for Water and Waste Services Xanthea Limberg confirms they are aware of the problem and says the sewer line in the area is affected by high levels of foreign objects in the system.
“At times it is exacerbated by operational issues at the Bridgetown pump station,” she says.
“Currently, the City has resources jetting and monitoring the sewer main on a daily basis as well as doing the necessary suction relief to mitigate any spillages onto properties.”
Limberg says once the maintenance and repair tender is awarded, a contractor will be appointed to fix the problem.
She urged people to stop flushing foreign objects and in manholes, and to wipe fats and grease off dishes before washing.