RESIDENTS from Marcus Garvey squatter camp in Cape Town say they have been living with a huge dam of greenish water in their kasi for the past two years.
They said the water is a mixture of stormwater and sewage.
They told Daily Sun that when it rains, the water levels rise and enter their shacks, destroying them and their belongings.
Resident Zukisa Mbedu (34) said they are tired of the smell.
She said: “We cannot continue to co-exist with a dam of sewage as if we are flies. We are losing our properties whenever it rains for the past two years.”
Residents said their kids sometimes get a rash because of the water.
Zukiswa Siqhunyana (64) said when the rain comes they know they are in trouble.
“Two weeks ago, when it rained and flooded, we struggled as our shacks were full of water. The municipality has not been draining the water for the past two years and it is affecting us. This water is mixed with sewage. This is not a life because it leaves us with no dignity at all,” she said.
The MMC for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said the main cause of the flooding is illegal dumping in stormwater infrastructure.
He added that informal structures in the area are erected on critical infrastructure such as manholes.
“Thus, the city does not have unhindered access to clean/clear the lines with mechanical units. Manholes are very deep and because of the informal structures, we had to deploy manual labour to assist with the removal of waste. This in itself is a risk, given the depth of the manholes manual labour can only clean up to a certain depth.
“We have also pumped out water with honey suckers and pumps, but this has been put on hold for now because on 10 June 2022 armed people attacked the team on site,” said Quintas.
The city said the draining of water will begin next week.
