Extra R115m to clean the City

AN EXTRA R115 million has been allocated to the cleaning of the City, but mayor Dan Plato has called on residents to play their part, too.

According to the City of Cape Town, 94.3% of residents have access to sanitation, but many complain that water flowing through the City taps is making them sick.

However, provincial Health Department spokesperson Mark van der Heever confirmed there had not been any reports of patients admitted due to illnesses as a result of contaminated water.

National Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said this was also as a result of the department undertaking “awareness campaigns as well as health and hygiene campaigns in various towns within the Western Cape province”.

Weekend Argus walked along Soet Rivier in the Strand area to inspect the cleanliness of the river. A strong, vile stench emanated from the water, which was filled with dirty nappies, rubble and even a dead dog.

Residents from nearby Nomzamo walk along this river to get to and from their places of work or the local shopping mall. Similarly, the Black River, which passes through Bonteheuwel and Langa, down to Salt River, was filled with rubble. Horses and cows were drinking from the water.

Fagmieda Abrahams, from Sandvlei, told Weekend Argus earlier this week she and her neighbours believed the dirty water flowing through the Zandvlei wastewater management system was the cause of their illnesses

“We have been saying this for months now; no one listens to us, but we know we are getting sick and getting skin rashes because of the dirty water around us. The water from the taps even tastes bad,” she said.

In Langa, Joe Slovo informal settlement resident Nokulunga Booi echoed Abrahams’s sentiments about the foul-tasting water, adding that a nearby canal was not cleaned regularly.

“We have limited taps that have to be shared by many families. Admittedly, residents play a huge part in adding to the filth in the area, but on the other hand, there is no proper cleaning done by the City here.

“Because of lack of services, people are forced to throw used diapers, rubble and anything else they need to discard in and around the canal. That leads to contamination and diseases,” said the 35-year-old unemployed graduate.

Water in some parts of the City also has an earthy taste and smell. Though the City maintains that the water is safe for consumption, residents in Khayelitsha beg to differ.

Speaking to Weekend Argus, former Ses’khona People’s Movement member Nosenti Jingwana from Site C said: “It is not the first time this is happening; it shows a lack of care for us by the government. The government needs a real and very rude awakening, and, like we did with Ses’Khona, we will show them again soon.”

EFF provincial spokesperson, Nazier Paulsen told Weekend Argus there were no adequate water and sanitation services, “specially in poorer communities which are inhabited by coloureds and Africans”. “Having a running tap or a bucket in your community does not constitute proper provision of water and sanitation, and the DA’s attempts to label this as proper sanitation is a spit in the face of the poor,” he said.

In a statement earlier this week, Plato said: “A large portion of the City’s service delivery budget already goes towards funding our solid waste department who remove refuse on a weekly basis and ensure that our neighbourhoods are kept clean.”

He added that the City wanted to stamp out illegal dumping.

“Clearing illegal dumping is expensive, resource-intensive and damages our environment,” said Plato.