The City of Cape Town has warned residents in Khayelitsha’s SST section that homes built illegally over a sewer line are now at the centre of a growing safety crisis, as sinkholes begin to form beneath some properties.
According to GroundUp, the affected sewer line is the same one that collapsed in January 2024, and officials say the repeated damage could have been prevented.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said that construction on essential service servitudes is not only illegal but also puts lives, homes, and vital infrastructure at risk. He confirmed that temporary measures are in place, but a full repair cannot be done until the illegal structures are removed.
‘Structures have been built directly over the sewer line where the ground has started to sink,’ said Badroodien. ‘Since the first break in 2024, the City has repeatedly requested the removal of these buildings to allow an emergency contractor to carry out repairs.’
Despite earlier appeals in March 2024 for residents to cooperate, many of the structures remain in place. The City insists that these buildings must be cleared to allow safe access for its maintenance teams to excavate and rebuild the line to proper safety and engineering standards.
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While no sewage overflows have yet affected nearby homes, the presence of sinkholes is a serious safety hazard.
The City has temporarily filled sunken areas with milling material to reduce immediate danger, but officials say this fix is only temporary and does not solve the underlying problem.
Authorities are now engaging with local political leaders to identify suitable land for relocating the affected families. The City has also reminded residents that the informal settlement sits on a stormwater retention pond, making it an unsafe location for long-term habitation.
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