Sewage spill in Cape Town's Khayelitsha affects 300 residents

More than 300 people have been displaced after a sewerage pipe burst, leading to flooded homes in the Kanana informal settlement, Khayelitsha.

Residents have been temporarily housed with relatives while authorities work on resolving the crisis.

Ward Councillor Lucky Mbiza explained the chain of events: "There was a sinkhole next to a nearby drain, and we called the City of Cape Town, and they came to fix it. As they were busy, the sewerage pipe burst and caused havoc."

He said the raw sewage spread across the settlement, forcing the evacuation of 110 homes and leaving 350 people homeless.

"We asked the Gift of the Givers to assist, and they came. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the local community hall because the people couldn't go back to their homes. They will have to rebuild because no one would want to go back."

Gift of the Givers project coordinator Ali Sablay said their teams responded immediately following a distress call from councillors and community leaders on Tuesday night.

"A burst sewerage pipe led to severe flooding within the settlement, affecting numerous homes within minutes in what residents have described as a freak accident. On arrival, our teams witnessed the devastating impact firsthand: homes inundated with sewage, residents' belongings destroyed, and food supplies contaminated. The situation has left many families in urgent need of basic essentials."

"As part of our immediate response, Gift of the Givers is providing hot meals, bottled water, and other critical support to affected residents. Our teams remain on the ground and are preparing to expand operations once mop-up efforts begin," Sablay said.

The City of Cape Town's Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Alderman Xanthea Limberg, said the City's Water and Sanitation Directorate is actively addressing the situation.

"The relevant teams have been deployed to resolve this. For context, an emergency contractor has been appointed to repair a 160mm diameter sewer pipe that connects to the 800mm mainline draining to the Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works. On 7 October 2025, at approximately 4pm, the contractor informed the depot team that the manhole where work was being carried out had started surcharging, which caused the failure of the shoring box."

Limberg explained that locating the downstream manhole has been difficult, as informal structures have been built over the mainline.

"To manage the situation, five six-inch mobile pumps have been deployed on-site to contain sewage spillages within the informal settlement. Depot teams have disinfected the affected areas to reduce odours, and the contractor remains on-site, working around the clock to resolve the issue. The City will continue to monitor this matter until it has been resolved."

Residents remain displaced while authorities and humanitarian organisations continue their efforts to restore safe living conditions.