Residents of Luzuko are the latest in a string of communities who have turned to Vukani to put the spotlight on flooding and sewage spills in their communities.
On Monday August 26, water gushed through drain grids and when Vukani visited the area some residents had tried to block the sewer while others placed rocks in their yards to use as stepping stones.
Residents told Vukani they had reported the matter to the City of Cape Town.
Petros Ntlahla in whose yard the problematic manhole is located, said he had lost count of how many times municipal employees had attempted to fix the manhole.
“We’ve been experiencing the problem on and off for 10 years. Two weeks ago, municipal workers promised to come twice a month to prevent the drains from blocking but never come. And now we are under siege from sewerage. I believe had they kept their promise, we would not be having problems like this,” he said.
Ntombekhaya Nyama-Plati, whose yard was flooded with sewage, said it posed a major health risk and she was more worried about her 11-month-old baby, who suffered from TB and had been in hospital.
“This is not healthy. We are going to get sick from breathing this in every day. We can’t even open our doors because the smell comes inside. We are trapped in our own homes,” she said.
She said on Saturday August 24 municipal workers came out, but they did not fix the problem.
“We were surprised when they left the place the same way they found it.”
Vukani asked the City to respond to the residents’ complaints but by the time this edition went to print, they had not yet responded.