For three weeks residents of Nyanga have been enduring the foul stench of raw sewage streaming through the area’s streets after a sewer became blocked.
The stench is affecting businesses and families who live in Sithandathu Street are fed up with the municipality’s failure to fix the problem.
Angry resident Linda Zenzile said he had exhausted all means to draw the attention of the City of Cape Town’s water and sanitation department, to their plight.
He complained about the unbearable smell and that the river of human faeces posed a health hazard to a nearby creche. “Look at the children who go to the creche. It affects them more than anyone because this dam of water surrounds it. Now we cannot walk on the street. We have to find an alternative way. We are forced to closed doors and windows all day,” he said.
He said he had been living in Nyanga for more than 10 years but in recent years he had lost count of how many times his yard had been flooded.
“My appeal will be to the municipality to change the sewer system. I suspect the pipes are old and small and (the number of) people has doubled, if not tripled, from when they were installed,” he said.
And meat vendors have blamed the ongoing sewage spill for the drop in their customer numbers.
They too, said they had reported the matter to the City.
Nobuntu Zide said for the whole of last week it was difficult to sell. She said her business as well as other businesses, were losing out.
“This is ridiculous to be honest. This drain has been overflowing for months now. It has now burst. The stink means we struggle to sell meat.
“People would not come and eat in an environment like we have. The municipality is failing the people of Nyanga and us informal traders. We really deserve better as people,” she said.
She said on a normal day, she was able to sell more than five sheep but now she struggles with one because of the stench. “This is killing our businesses. The sooner they help, the better,” she said.
Vukani asked comment from the City of Cape Town’s media team, but by the time this edition went to print, they had not yet responded.