THIS item is the No 1 cause of sewer blockages in upmarket Cape Town suburbs
A dramatic surge in sewer blockages is causing headaches for residents and authorities in some of Cape Town's most affluent coastal suburbs, with over 1 000 incidents reported since July 2023.
The City of Cape Town's Water and Sanitation Directorate has linked the persistent problem to the improper disposal of household waste – especially the flushing of wet wipes .
According to the City, Camps Bay, Clifton, Bakoven and Sea Point have been the hardest-hit areas, with 1 072 blockages recorded between July 2023 and March 2025.
Despite ongoing maintenance and rapid response efforts, blockages are recurring frequently – sometimes within days of being cleared.
'We see an increase in the prevalence of wet wipes blocking sewer pipes in some areas. These should be discarded in the bin to be collected along with other refuse,' said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.
An analysis of sewer blockage causes in the affected suburbs revealed: 26% due to foreign objects like wet wipes, nappies, and sanitary towels
due to foreign objects like 18% caused by tree roots invading the system
caused by invading the system 9% due to rags
due to 6% linked to fats and grease from local restaurants
linked to from local restaurants 8% from other causes
from other causes 33% could not be definitively traced
'Despite our efforts, many of these blockages are entirely preventable. What is especially concerning is the need for repeat visits just days apart,' Badroodien added.
The City is now urging residents and visitors alike to change their bathroom habits by following a simple rule: 'Bin it, don't flush it.'
'I urge all residents and visitors to Camps Bay, Clifton, Bakoven and Sea Point – please do not flush wet wipes, nappies, sanitary towels, ear buds or any other foreign items down the toilet.
'These items do not break down like toilet paper and severely damage our sewer infrastructure,' said Badroodien. Only flush human waste and toilet paper – nothing else Dispose of wet wipes and hygiene products in bins, not toilets Report sewer overflows and blockages using the City's official channels Report missing manhole covers or suspected vandalism Use drop-off sites for large or recyclable waste
City officials stress that a collaborative effort between residents, businesses, and local government is essential to stopping the environmental and health damage caused by sewer overflows.
'Breaking the cycle of this persistent challenge requires a joint effort. We need every Capetonian and visitor to play their part,' said Badroodien.
With sewer infrastructure under increasing strain, the City hopes that stronger public awareness and behaviour change will stem the tide – literally – of this growing coastal crisis.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Here's how much government paid capped, sick leave to employees in the public service
Capped leave is expected to grow in costs. A South African flag flies against a backdrop of flowering jacaranda trees outside the Rosebank police station. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen The cost and broader impact of leave taken by public service employees over a four-year period have come under scrutiny. Officials from the Department of Public Service and Administration, alongside the Public Service Commission (PSC), presented these findings to Parliament during a meeting on Wednesday. PSC commissioner Vusumuzi Mavuso explained to the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration that data was collected from the Personnel and Salary Administration System (Persal) for the period between 2020 and 2023. ALSO READ: How many ghost workers are there in government? This data focused on various types of leave, including study and sick leave. Information gathered included the gender, age, and salary levels of personnel from all national and provincial departments, with the exception of the Department of Defence and the State Security Agency (SSA). 'It was quite necessary to collect the data and making sure that we have a sense as to what is happening within the public service, specifically looking into sick and study leave from Persal and to establish whether there is any excessive utilisation of such leave,' Mavuso told MPs. Capped leave in public service PSC Director of Employment Management, Renel Singh, reported that as of December 2023, the government spent R16 billion on 9.2 million days of capped leave. This applied to 189 039 employees out of a total of 1 387 391 in the public service, with about 122 000 of them from the education and health sectors. Public sector employees appointed before 1 July 2000 retained their capped leave – pre-2000 audited leave converted to working days – which is only paid out in the event of death, retirement, or medical boarding. READ MORE: Will review of public sector doctors working in private hospitals lead to better healthcare or brain drain? Singh said capped leave is expected to grow in costs. 'The costs go up on the basis of cost-of-living adjustments and factors such as promotions and notch upgrades.' 'Capped leave is a moving target, and it is a contingent liability for the state. It is something that the state has to pay to the public servant who chooses to retire,' she said on Wednesday. Alongside the anticipated future payout costs, there are growing concerns about the potential loss of experienced personnel from the public service sector. 'The health sector has 26 524 officials who have capped leave, and education has 96 096 people who have capped leave, and that raises future concerns in terms of the skills deficit that we may encounter.' Watch the meeting below: PSC recommendations on capped leave Given that capped leave is a 'quite expensive cost' for government, the PSC made several recommendations. Among these was for the National Treasury to perform a detailed cost-based analysis of expected payouts over the next five to ten years. 'There has to be recommendations that need to be made by the National Treasury together with the Department of Public Service and Administration specifically in relation to the negotiation of this particular practice of leave to ascertain what the future costs would be.' 'And it would be feasible for the state to actually incur that cost now or wait for people to exit the system, which could considerably be a higher cost in the future,' Singh explained. READ MORE: Corruption 'not government's responsibility alone' but taxpayers fork out millions for suspensions Another proposal involves allowing employees to convert capped leave into extra pension benefits, in line with Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF) rules. 'The GEPF offers the option to purchase additional pension and will result in improved retirement benefits.' This would require the Department of Public Service, the GEPF, and the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) to explore the option from a cost-benefit perspective. The PSC also urged the department to initiate human resource planning exercises to prepare for the loss of experienced staff due to retirement. Sick leave for public service employees Singh presented data showing that the number of public service employees taking sick leave in national departments ranged from 224 649 to 266 445 over the four-year period. In provincial departments, the range was between 14 041 and 145 301. 'In 2022, there was a spike, but it was the new sick leave cycle, which is the reloading of the 36 days of sick leave over a three-year period,' she remarked. READ MORE: Almost 90% of foreign government employees in health and education sectors, says DPSA Between 2020 and 2023, public servants took between 5.4 million and 7.6 million days of sick leave, with a peak in 2022. The cost of this leave rose from R8 billion in 2020 to R11.5 billion in 2022, before slightly dropping to R10.1 billion in 2023. 'When we look at costs, we are looking at it from a perspective of employees not being in the office. They are not operating. They are getting paid their salaries, but they are not actually in office.' Incapacity leave Temporary incapacity leave peaked in 2021, with 43 878 employees taking 1.4 million days of leave. This figure decreased in 2022 but rose again in 2023 to 1.3 million days. The cost reached R2.38 billion in 2023. 'Temporary incapacity leave is employee-initiated,' Singh told the committee. In terms of permanent incapacity leave, which is employer initiated, the police had the highest number of cases, with 696 between 2020 and 2023. The highest cost of permanent incapacity leave for all government employees was R31.18 million in 2020. 'The costs were relatively far lower than your temporary incapacity leave.' To address the escalating costs and potential misuse of sick leave, the PSC suggested annual audits by all government departments to identify instances of excessive use and possible misuse by employees. Departments should also strictly monitor medical certificate submissions to verify sick leave applications. Finally, the PSC recommended that the Department of Public Service consider placing a cap on temporary incapacity leave. NOW READ: Parliamentary 'ghostbusters' target Casper – the unfriendly public service ghost
The Citizen
5 hours ago
- The Citizen
uThukela to install 100 toilets in Zwelisha area
uThukela Mayor Inkosi NB Shabalala officially handed over a sanitation infrastructure project in Ward 28 of Alfred Duma Local Municipality on Tuesday (June 3). The project will see 100 Ventilated Improved Pit latrines installed in the Zwelisha area (Ward 28). The mayor expressed the municipality's commitment to extending basic services to all communities. 'We are pleased to bring this vital service to the residents of Zwelisha. The local ward councillor made the request to the municipality and we have responded by allocating 100 toilets for this area,' said Shabalala. Also read: IFP encourages Grade 12 learners to work hard as early as possible The mayor further explained that the allocation of toilets across the district is guided by requests from each ward and the availability of resources across the district's 76 wards. Highlighting the improved technology, Shabalala stated that the new latrines use chemical treatments that enable waste to decompose, eliminating the need to dig new pits when the toilets are full; a significant improvement from the traditional system. The project, valued at R1.6 million, is expected to be completed within six months and will create about 30 employment opportunities for local residents. The contractor is DLV Projects, who confirmed that construction is set to begin this coming Sunday (June 8). Please follow us on our YouTube channel and do not be shy; please subscribe and comment as well. Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
How informal recycling provides a lifeline for South Africa's waste pickers
Waste collectors play an important role and save municipalities R300 million to R750 million annually. Image: Nokuthula Mbatha / Independent Newspapers The high unemployment rate, coupled with limited formal sector opportunities, has pushed many individuals, such as Thabiso Leburu* (not his real name), into informal recycling as a means of survival. Leburu, a former ArcelorMittal employee, said this was an opportunity to generate income and feed his family after his contract ended in 2010. Leburu and other recyclers are camping at a dumping site near the Boipatong landfill site, in the Vaal, where they are attending to every vehicle dropping waste. He said this is their daily routine. They recycle wood, plastics, cans, and bottles. The high unemployment rate, reaching 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, is driving many to seek alternative income through activities such as waste picking. This informal sector, often referred to as 'survivalist entrepreneurs', plays a crucial role in waste management and contributes to the livelihoods of thousands. The Department of Environmental Affairs' report on the determination of the extent and role of waste picking estimates that there are approximately 62,147 reclaimers in South Africa. However, the department did respond at the time of publication. According to the case study by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (Seri), the sector recovers an estimated 80% to 90% of paper and packaging materials on an annual basis. Diverting these recyclables saves municipalities R300 million to R750 million annually. The organisation said it was also estimated that the South African economy realised a 52.6% recycling rate for paper and packaging waste because of the work of recyclers. Despite their contribution and resourcefulness, informal recyclers remain poor and marginalised. They are often associated with crime, drug abuse, and lawlessness, a perception perpetuated by exclusionary waste management policies and the treatment they receive from South Africans they encounter. Most often, the informal recyclers do not have access to food of nutritional value or any food at all. This means they often find themselves in the struggle to escape the spiral of food insecurity as they are unable to earn a decent living. Leburu, who is the father of six children, said the sector has changed their lives for the better, adding that many could have been exposed to criminal activities. 'That little money I receive in a day could help me to put bread on the table,' said the 54-year-old, adding that he makes between R30 and R400 a day. He said he used to make good money before the closure of the Boipatong landfill site. The landfill site was closed due to non-adherence to licence conditions, leading to increased illegal dumping in the area. 'Sometimes we don't make money at all. And because we cannot let our kids sleep with empty stomachs, we take stale food here. All we want to see is our kids and families being happy,' he said. His friend, who also requested to remain anonymous, said he has been employed and has been in this sector since 2001. He said this is because he has to feed his family of three children. Seri said the sector continues to attract large numbers of people as it offers low barriers to entry due to limited opportunities. This was despite the occupational hazards and health risks associated with informal recycling. The organisation said many recyclers have some education and skills but are unable to find employment outside of the reclaiming industry. Seri added that 25% of reclaimers in South Africa have completed matric, and some have engaged in formal tertiary studies. The organisation visited the landfill in Orange Farm (known as the Palm Springs landfill) where about 300 people from the area and nearby surrounding areas pick and sort waste. The organisation said these reclaimers deal with several challenges on a day-to-day basis, adding that the safety of the landfill was a concern, especially for women. 'Reclaimers wear no protective clothing, have no access to water and toilets, and are exposed to dangerous chemicals and materials.' 'In addition, reclaimers do not have access to safety equipment and are often harassed by security guards and police.' [email protected]
