“Sink hole” families to be moved
Dozens of Khayelitsha families have been living above a collapsing sewer pipe
Aphelele Manga outside his home in Town Two in Khayelitsha, where a sink hole caused by a collapsing sewer pipe has been growing. The City of Cape Town now plans to relocate people in order to conduct repairs. Photo: Vincent Lali
- Dozens of families in Town Two, Khayelitsha, are to be relocated because they are living above a collapsing sewer pipe.
- Residents have been complaining of sink holes opening underneath their shacks.
- The Public Protector’s Office is investigating alleged failures by the City of Cape Town to provide basic municipal services to residents at the Langa Flats and in Khayelitsha.
The City of Cape Town will soon be relocating dozens of families in Town Two, Khayelitsha, who are living above collapsing sewer pipes.
Last week, officials from the Office of the Public Protector and the SA Human Rights Commission visited the community, following numerous complaints by residents about sink holes opening near or even underneath their shacks.
The Public Protector is currently investigating alleged failures by the City to provide basic municipal services to residents at Langa Flats and in Khayelitsha. The office was unable to provide more information until the investigation is complete.
Last month, GroundUp reported how people in SST section had to vacate their homes because of the ground collapsing beneath them.
The City’s water and sanitation department says about 40 structures are preventing machinery from excavating the damaged sewer line for repairs.
Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the department is “working closely with Human Settlements to facilitate the relocation of affected residents”.
“As soon as the relocations are complete and we have safe access to the service corridor, an emergency contractor will begin permanent repair work on the damaged sewer line.”
He said a contractor is on site to repair another damaged sewer pipe and manhole on the sewer mainline in Wetlands informal settlement.
“The pipe is about four metres underground, but we cannot conduct a proper assessment until the pipe is excavated.”
Badroodien warned people not to erect structures at stormwater retention ponds or at essential service points. “Building on servitudes is not only dangerous, but also unlawful and compromises our ability to provide basic services,” he said.
City urged to fix sewer pipe
Tammy Carter of the Human Rights Commission said failure to fix the collapsed sewer pipe could violate the residents’ rights to sanitation.
“Should the sewer line collapse, there is potential for a large portion of the population of Khayelitsha to be affected,” she said.
Carter said the Commission would monitor the situation.
Resident Aphelele Manga said he fears the sink hole in front of his structure is expanding. “When I put my hand into the hole to check its depth, the hole widened. When I’m standing next to the hole, I can hear running water. When I’m at work, I fear that my bed will fall into the hole,” he said.
Someone had almost fallen into the hole, he said.
Manga said the hole is foul smelling and brings flies.
Community leader Mzikazi Twani said they identified over 100 shacks built above a pipe in Thabang Brooklyn Street. “The residents fill the sink holes with sand, but it doesn’t last.”
He said many people have been forced to leave their homes because of sink holes.
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Letters
Dear Editor
This is an open letter to the Executive Mayor of Cape Town:
Dozens of families in Town Two, Khayelitsha are living on top of collapsing sewer pipes. Sink holes are opening next to and underneath their shacks. The ground is unstable, foul-smelling water is seeping up, and people fear their beds could literally fall into the earth. This is an urgent disaster, not a routine service issue.
Section 10 of the Constitution guarantees the right to dignity; section 24, an environment not harmful to health or wellbeing; and sections 26 and 27, access to housing, water and health care. Allowing families to remain above a collapsing sewer line, with the constant risk of injury, disease and displacement, violates these rights.
This should be a wake-up call to the City’s political leadership.
I call on you to ensure that:
1. All affected households are relocated immediately to safe, humane emergency accommodation as near as possible to their current homes in Town Two, so that people are not exiled from jobs, schools, clinics and social networks.
2. The temporary site provides adequate shelter, sanitation, water, electricity and refuse removal, and is planned in a way that advances residents’ right to the city and spatial justice, rather than pushing poor people further to the margins.
3. A clear, time-bound plan is adopted, in consultation with residents, to repair the sewer line and to incrementally formalise the informal settlement so that this crisis is not repeated.
Your decisive intervention now can prevent tragedy, uphold constitutional rights and demonstrate that Khayelitsha residents count equally in Cape Town’s future.
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