Cape Town - Irate residents have called on the City to act on the sewage overflow into the Rietvlei Lagoon along the greater Table Bay Nature Reserve, claiming human and wildlife were at risk.
The Protected Area Advisory Committee, under the helm of resident Kevin Sherman of the Flamingo View Home Owners Association and a representative of the Table Bay Nature Reserve Protected Area Advisory Committee (PAAC),representing 50 households, said poor management of sewage infrastructure in the Nature Reserve has led to the problem.
Sherman also compiled the Protected Area Advisory Committee Report on sewage overflow into Rietvlei Lagoon between 2019 and 2024.
The City's mayco member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the City's sewer pump stations team discovered an overflow at the Table View East Pump Station.
“The City’s Sewer Pump Station Operations team is actively working to reinstate the pump station.
"Compounding the issue, one pump is blocked, another has a faulty variable speed drive (VSD), and while the third pump remains operational, it is unable to handle the excessive inflows on its own,” he said.
In September 2024, Sherman presented to the PAAC, regarding Rietvlei Lagoon sewage overflow.
He claims a Water and Sanitation official lowered a manhole in 2023, causing overflows that never occurred from 2012-2023.
He questioned officials' lack of willingness to meet and resolve the issue, threatening a lawsuit if the manhole isn't raised.
Shocking videos show the sewage overflow bursting into pools of water and even fountains in the lagoon.
Sherman said he also had engagements with the areas’ councillor, Sue Van der Linde, who has refused to comment on the issue when approached by the Cape Argus.
“You will note I raise some questions on certain slides. In the meeting, the councillor was asked to provide answers to all of those questions. She met privately with me at my home in December and provided no responses," said Sherman.
“In public meetings, officials claimed the pipe leak in 2020 was repaired, but offered no evidence.
"On the other hand, I have my own witness testimony and photographs proving that the 'repair' in 2020 was never completed.
“The official in charge of this repair, was also the official responsible for lowering the manhole in 2023, the same manhole overflowing above.
“I have lived here since 2012 and from 2012 until the manhole was lowered in 2023, there was never an overflow in this location.”
Another resident, Cindy Willis, said it posed a health risk: “This is a nationally designated Protected Area full of not only wildlife but people who use the lagoon, who have not been warned by any signage of the health hazard of raw sewerage flowing into the lagoon."
Sherman said on Sunday, February 23, he noted another overflow.
“There was another major overflow of tens of thousands of liters of sewage into a nationally designated Protected Area that could have been easily avoided if that manhole had been raised last year,” he said.
He said he also threatened lawsuit: “I am, however, quite prepared to launch a lawsuit if the manhole is not raised."
Badroodien added that teams were working to remedy the issue and asked for residents to be mindful of water usage.
“Progress has been made as the teams worked tirelessly through the night to get access to the dry well, while all efforts were made to minimize the spill and enable staff to safely enter the wet well and give effect to the necessary repairs,” he said.
“During this period, while the pump station remains offline, there is a risk of sewer overflows in parts of Table Bay and surrounding areas.”