The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, and his two Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi met with Dan Plato, the Executive Mayor of Cape Town on 30 September 2021. The meeting came just a day after Minister Mchunu visited Khayelitsha, where he witnessed unspeakable sewer spillage at both schools and homes.
Referring to the unbearable conditions in which people live under in Khayelitsha, Minister Mchunu informed the Mayor that the different spheres of Government must collaborate to safeguard the dignity of communities. “There is a need for urgent actions to alleviate the situation of the communites affected by the sewer spillages” Minister said.
In its presentation to the Minister, City of Cape Town cited vandalism, misuse and attacks on its water officers as the main challenges preventing it from delivering services to communities at times. According to the City of Cape Town, 32 pump stations have been vandalised in the past nine months.
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The Executive Mayor Plato pledged to give attention to the matter of sewer spillages to the greatest extent possible, stating: “Sewer spillages will be top of the list when I hand over to the next mayor after the election for local government”.
In order to curb vandalism in its many dimensions, the National Department of Water and Sanitation, the City of Cape Town and other stakeholders will do more to raise awareness and education on vandalism.
To deal with sewer spillages in the short to medium term, the delegation agreed that a multidisciplinary team comprising the City of Cape Town, the National Department of Water and Sanitation, Human Settlements and other key stakeholders would be formed.
“Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity.”
