A Westridge resident fixed a blocked drain in his street with his bare hands after residents complained of flooding caused by overflowing stormwater drains.
Dad of two Jonathan Solomons, 45, saw his neighbour sukkel with the drain outside his Houtkloof Street home and decided to help.
“I was bored, I saw my neighbour struggling with a blocked drain, I asked if I could help him and asked him to stand aside,” he says.
“I dug out rubble and dirt that was inside the drain.
“There were pieces of tar, stone, metal and other hard objects in the drain which could be the cause of the blockage.”
“Most of the drains in my area are blocked, the water doesn’t flow freely.
“We still need the City of Cape Town to come out with their machines to fix the pipes as our roads are flooding.”
A resident took a picture of Jonathan working and shared it on their Westridge Concerned Citizens Facebook page where he was hailed a hero.
The post by Ashley Booysen reads: “Big up to this community member who is cleaning the drain himself due to constant flooding ... because the City Of Cape Town is too busy servicing the rich areas.”
Jonathan, who works as a security guard at a Muslim school in Westridge, says he feels honoured: “I didn’t realise it would mean so much but I’m glad I could help solve a few of our blocked drain problems.”
The City did not respond to queries.