Strand residents well and truly in Sh*t Street as ageing infrastructure crumbles

Resident Cecilia Louw’s car, submerged in sewage water. (Photo: Cecilia Louw)

26 Sep 2024

Residents of Strand, Cape Town, are subject to a worsening crisis from ageing and overburdened infrastructure causing frequent sewage overflows into streets, houses and the natural environment.

The Trappies Bulk Sewer Pipeline has for years been causing sewage overflows into the ocean and streets in Strand, Cape Town, with the issue exacerbated every winter.

strand sewage Joubert Street in Strand, Cape Town, flooded by sewage water on 20 August 2024. (Photo: Cecilia Louw)

Despite public meetings and media exposure, including a Daily Maverick report, little has improved, leaving locals, beachgoers and businesses in despair and affecting the health of the Lourens River and the coastline in the area.

City of Cape Town signage has been posted on the beach warning people of the risks of swimming, playing and drinking in its polluted waters. However, the same courtesy of health risk warnings has not been given to residents living with sewage in their streets, homes and backyards.

‘It’s disgusting’

Cecilia Louw, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, lives on Joubert Street in Strand. Locals commonly referred to it as “Shit Street” because of the frequent sewage overflows. Louw told Daily Maverick that the sewage runs into her driveway, garden and flat.

“It’s disgusting,” Louw said, adding that the constant threat of exposure to the sewage posed an additional risk to her already compromised immune system.

She said there had been no communication from the City of Cape Town about the health risks the sewage problem posed to residents.

strand sewage flooding Streets in Strand, Cape Town have frequently been flooded by sewage water. (Photo: Cecilia Louw)

Another resident, Helene Wiehahn, said she had urinary tract infections from being in contact with the contaminated water and struggled with breathing issues from the mould that it left.

“You can’t possibly clean everywhere that the water runs in… You have the sludge stuck to everything; for weeks we’re struggling to clean,” she said.

Wiehahn and Louw, along with the rest of the community in northern Strand, deal with frequent floods in winter, which compounds the problem. Louw recalled that during one flood, her grandmother woke up ankle-deep in sewage water, forcing her to evacuate her residence.

Another resident of Joubert Street, Chris Serton, said there had been 10 to 15 sewage overflows since March.

strand sinkhole A sinkhole in Joubert Street, in Strand, Cape Town. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

This has caused significant property damage, health concerns for family and neighbours, and disrupted daily life. Serton said he had contacted the City of Cape Town many times about the issue, but had received only generic responses.

“There are signs up which say we can’t even use the beach, which is rough. There are a lot of people advocating for the beach, but in our instance, it’s not even the amenity of the beaches. It’s the actual health and safety in your own yard and at your own house. After an overspill, for weeks on end the streets smell of raw sewage,” said Serton.

He said the city had to address the issues.

“There’s many reasons why people move to Strand … one of the main attractions was to be close to the ocean and enjoy nature. Unfortunately, the city at the moment is one of the leading causes of pollution and contamination of not only the ocean but [also] our streets. It’s just ridiculous.”

KC Gericke from Strand Patrol Neighborhood Watch helps evacuate elderly residents during sewage overflows.

“It’s sad. We’re seeing people lose everything,” Gericke said.

He said people had lost their beds, food, appliances, clothing and documents during the overflows. Because of the frequency of these events and the costs, many were unable to obtain insurance.

With the heavy rains of the past winter, Gericke said, “We had excessive flooding and Strand Patrol climbed in and we carried elderly people out of their homes, helping them back and getting them to dry ground. The one elderly couple was sitting on the kitchen table and we had to carry them from the kitchen table out to dry ground.”

Trappies sewer pipeline rehabilitation

The long overdue rehabilitation of the 900mm diameter Trappies Bulk Sewer Pipeline is in the works. A budget of R146-million was allocated for the project for the 2024/25 financial year.

However, the City of Cape Town is still appointing contractors for the project, which is expected to begin towards the end of October. It will take about 12 to 14 months to complete.

The city said the project would restore the ageing sewer line, bringing it back to full capacity and eliminating the many breakdowns that now occur, particularly during the heavy winter rains that cause the sewer system to flood from stormwater ingress.

The city has been conducting emergency repairs when pipe bursts and sewer collapses occur throughout August and September, ahead of the implementation of the long-term rehabilitation project.

In a previous media statement, Cape Town Water and Sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien said: “While the city has robust plans to address the challenges of ageing infrastructure, it’s important to note that many sewer blockages and overflows can be prevented through responsible behaviour. Illegal stormwater-to-sewer connections and the disposal of rags, electronics and building rubble into the sewer system put undue strain on the entire network, exacerbating these issues.”

strand meeting A City of Cape Town public meeting in Strand. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

This was echoed by the city’s technicians at a meeting this month — a full year after the city’s last in-person engagement with the community.

Wiehahn said, “The city keeps indicating that we only have sewage spills during wet weather months, but we don’t. It’s throughout the year that it happens.”

Louw said sometimes raw sewage ran down the street, into driveways, gardens and homes.

‘You give up’

“At some stages, it would carry on for the entire day. I would come back home in the evening, the entire Strand would be flooded — so full of sewage,” she said.

“It’s thick sludge. We stand here in the street, with neighbours helping me with shovels trying to get rid of it.

“I have sewage water in my kitchen … at some point you give up, because if I walk out my front door, I’m stepping in it anyway. The health inspector says, ‘Yes, it’s there.’ He comes out, he looks at it. He takes a photo, lets the life-saving club know. But that’s about it.”

Wiehahn said they had been told that relief was expected in 2027/2028.

She said, “What is the interim solution, what is the place for cleaning, for people who don’t have working toilets, for emergency services, for people who are ill? What if the street is full of water and Cecilia needs to go to hospital? There’s no emergency support here… It’s a disgrace, really.

“There is literal faeces lying in the road and [city officials] will tell you this is an act of God and we should claim it from insurance. My insurance is going to drop me.”

strand sewage sinkhole Resident Cecilia Louw’s car, submerged in sewage water. (Photo: Cecilia Louw)

strand sewage water car Resident Cecilia Louw’s car, flooded by sewage water. (Photo: Cecilia Louw)

During one of the big floods in 2023, Louw’s family car was so badly damaged that it could not be repaired, while Wiehahn parked her car up a hill to prevent it from being damaged.

“It’s getting worse,” said Louw. This was echoed by other residents. They said the city had not been forthcoming, residents were ignored, meetings with officials were cancelled and residents were told to wait for the annual community meeting with the city.

City communication

During the community meeting in Strand this month, Badroodien said they had committed to regularly updating the community and improving communication about the Trappies collapses.

“To some degree, we have held to that commitment in terms of keeping the community up to date. We have issued almost 11 update notices since the last meeting [in 2023], directly with the community through the database the communications team is building, but also through the councillors’ network.

“We want to and will be as transparent and as honest as possible … in terms of the challenges we’re facing in this particular region, especially around the impact of the weather, the impact of the ongoing ageing of the infrastructure and various other issues,” said Badroodien. DM

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Our Burning Planet

‘It’s disgusting’

Trappies sewer pipeline rehabilitation

‘You give up’

City communication