- Votsho shack dwellers in Harare, say they’ve lost hope in the City of Cape Town’s ability to fix a leaking drain in the area.
- According to residents, the problem has persisted for over six months and things are not getting any better.
- The City’s Mayco member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said there is currently a blockage on the 600 mm sewer main in Welcome Zenzile in Kuyasa.
Votsho shack dwellers in Harare, say they’ve lost hope in the City of Cape Town’s ability to fix a leaking drain in the area.
According to residents, the problem has persisted for over six months and things are not getting any better.
A concerned resident Nceba Magalela described their living conditions as appalling. He said they want to be relocated to a better place.
“Ever since we arrived here in 2017, we never got rest. The sewage is stuck here. It is coming inside our shacks. Some of the residents vacated their shacks and left their furniture inside,” said Magalela.
He said sewage once came inside his shack. He stated that sometimes the sewage comes with force and causes some damage.
“We don’t know why the City can’t fix the drain permanently. The City employees have been coming and fixing it but later burst it again. Some of my electric appliances are damaged because of the dirty water inside my shack,” said Magalela.
He said his shack also flooded and had been forced to abandon it. He said he was hiring a room to sleep at night.
Magalela stated that he pays R50 per night. “I’m not the only one who is paying the fee for the room here. Others left their shacks and stayed with their relatives in other areas. Some of my belongings are there where I sleep. But most of them are still in my shack,” he stated, adding that his shack stinks because of the sewage.
The City’s Mayco member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said there is currently a blockage on the 600 mm sewer main in Welcome Zenzile in Kuyasa.
“Four operational teams have been working day and night using specialised vehicles in addition to over-pumping to provide relief to residents.
“At this stage, it cannot be determined when the matter will be resolved as the manhole upstream was vandalised intentionally to create illegal connections, and that contributes to the severity of the blockage,” said Badroodien.