Brown’s Farm residents drowning in overflowing sewage

Residents of Browns Farm in Philippi are outraged over the streams of raw faeces flowing through their area and the nauseating stench that hangs in the air as a result of it.

Residents say Sinqolamthi Road that has turned into a river of sewage and are desperate for local authorities to attend to their ongoing water and sanitation problems.

Residents said since March this year, they’ve had to put up with a malfunctioning sewer system and an unreliable water supply.

Resident Dan Mageza said for five months, residents have had to deal with raw sewage flowing through their yards because the sewers are blocked and manholes overflowing.

“It now affects the toilets inside the houses. All the houses in this street have raw faeces coming out of the toilets. We cannot use the toilets because as you flush, the (faeces) comes back,” he said.

Showing a couple of reference numbers he got from the City, he said they also reported the blocked sewerage to their councillor

“This problem is old. We have been in talks with all the relevant people. We told our councillor (but) he has done nothing to help us. The City has been told many times,” he told Vukani.

Another resident Nontsikelelo Gogo said she was worried about the children who play in the mess.

“The smell is unbearable. You can’t open the windows and doors but again you are suffocating yourself with what is inside the house. This is dire and unhealthy. We are no longer using our toilets. Some have to use buckets and throw them in the open field somewhere. This is bad especially for children,” she said.

Her neighbour Stone Bhota said the situation was being aggravated by children who throw stones in the overflowing drain. He said should the City fix the drainage system and children will not be playing there

“They must take the blame for not fixing this for such a long time. Another thing that they need to do is to upgrade their sewer system. This system is old and people have not stopped growing. The area itself has grown tremendously. I think this system can not take it any longer. The stench is into everyone’s houses in this street,” he said.

He said he had to dig a furrow to channel the raw sewage away from his house. “I think the City thinks we complain for the sake of complaining or we are seeking attention. It is not so. We were dying with a stench and dirty water. We seriously need help,”

Vukani raised the residents’ concerns with the City of Cape Town which has yet to respond.