Residents of Bokmakierie, Athlone claim they are back to using the bucket system as they have been sukkelling with severe unsanitary sewage problems for the past three months.
Resident Glen Williams claims that despite repeated efforts to resolve their plumbing and drainage issues with the City of Cape Town, the situation has only worsened.
He says that the blockages are causing the toilets to be clogged and leading to sewage backups that are spilling into the backyards of residents and is a significant health hazard.
Glen explains: “I go and complain to the councillor everyday.
"We have entered our third month with this same problem and several trucks have come out to 'assist', and we have received SMS notifications stating that the issue has been resolved but they don’t fix nothing. No actual progress has been made and the situation remains dire.
"We have sewage running from the yard into the road in some roads, into the canal and the children play outside. The smell is unbelievable; it stinks because the water has pee and popo in it.
"A few roads have been affected and it has flooded into the roads from the people’s yard.
"This is a health hazard because I have a daughter who is pregnant and high risk and my throat is already sore from this.
"We can’t take it anymore. I said that I have a submersible pump and I am going to pump this sh!t into the road.
"We can’t even use our toilets or flush. Every night, I have to chuck buckets of crap into the road. I don’t want to but I am forced to."
Glen said that for three months they have been told that the cause of the sewage overflow is due to a "foreign object".
He adds: “The overflow of raw sewage is not only unsanitary but also poses a significant health hazard to our families and the community at large.
"We urgently request immediate intervention to fix the blocked drains and alleviate this ongoing health risk. We would appreciate a prompt response and a clear plan of action to ensure that this situation is resolved without further delay."
Daily Voice reached out to the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Department. They responded: The City of Cape Town is looking into this query and will respond in due course.