Wesbank residents benefit from CoCT’s new lockable manhole covers to combat sewage overflow

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, on-site in Wesbank, overseeing the installation of the lockable manhole covers to combat sewage overflow issues. Following pleas from political parties and residents of Wesbank, who have faced sewage flooding in their homes and streets for seven years, the City of Cape Town has installed 72 lockable manhole covers, the first of its kind. The sewage emergency prompted Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, to visit the area.

A week prior, the City acknowledged the crisis, citing ongoing vandalism as the primary cause. Siyabulela Mamkeli, a GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor, stated that the situation has worsened at the corners of Monticello and Flower Streets, where residents have resorted to constructing makeshift gutters and are experiencing sewage overflowing into their homes and onto the public road. During their on-site visit, Badroodien announced that lockable manholes have been installed in the streets to prevent vandalism.

“No community should have to live with recurring sewer spills or feel compelled to implement makeshift measures to manage overflows,” he said in a response to Cape Argus. “Through the Innovation Programme, 72 lockable manhole covers are being installed in Wesbank, with the first fitted in Monticello Street yesterday. These new covers have no scrap value, which we expect will help curb theft, and they are designed to be tamper-proof.

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The pilot will monitor whether the installation of these covers reduces the dumping of foreign objects into the sewer system and improves network reliability.” “Operational teams are dispatched to the affected areas as they are notified about service requests. The sewer lines have been unblocked, and the impacted areas have been cleaned and disinfected to mitigate public health risks. The City continues to respond to all logged sewer service requests and undertakes routine maintenance in the area,” Badroodien clarified.

He further explained that the sewer network in Wesbank was designed to accommodate normal household flows and that the primary cause of recurring overflows in this area is not system capacity constraints, but ongoing vandalism, tampering with manholes, and the discharge of foreign objects into the network. “Teams have recorded a significant increase in foreign materials, including items deliberately introduced into the system,” he stated. “This type of interference obstructs the network, damages infrastructure, and results in sewage backing up into streets and, in some cases, private properties.” Earlier, resident and community worker Patricia Hendricks noted that men from the community had to be paid to remove the blockages. Siyabulela Mamkeli, a GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor, discusses the community’s sewage crisis and the new measures being implemented to improve sanitation in Wesbank.

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