‘City’s mess caused my place to flood’
A Hangberg woman is blaming the City after the side of her house collapsed during the heavy rains and winds that have battered Cape Town this week.
Deidre Strauss says the brick wall in the bedroom of her Salamander Road home gave way on Tuesday.
Just weeks earlier, she and another Salamander Road resident, Yusrah Mohammed, told the Sentinel that they had struggled in vain for almost three years to get the City to repair damage to their homes, which they claimed was caused when the City built a walkway behind their properties. (“Water keeps streaming into my house,” Sentinel, June 21).
Ms Strauss, who lives in the house with her four adult children and 2-year-old granddaughter, said the work had made her home prone to flooding that had cracked her cement floor.
Ward councillor Roberto Quintas told the Sentinel at the time that City staff had visited the site and determined that more investigation was needed as it appeared that underground water was rising to the surface.
However, speaking to the Sentinel this week, Ms Strauss said: “I'm about to lose myself because I'm sick and tired of all this. Our ward councillor is not helping. My complaint has been coming on for three years now... Not once have you even been at my place to come and look at what I have to deal with, Mr Councillor.
“My place is busy collapsing, and its so sad because I don’t get the help I need. This is the City’s mess that caused my place to flood. Before the construction project, my place was 6.5 metres high and now it’s like 3 metres high as they planted half of my place in the concrete,“ Ms Strauss said.
The City this week said its staff were still investigating the matter and that Disaster Risk Management had been alerted.
However, Ms Strauss said she was unaware of any such inspection by the City.
“Not one of the City’s officials nor the councillor has assisted me with anything recently. The neighbours had to take rusty metal sheets with little holes in them and planks from their fences to temporarily close the side of my house,” she said, adding that it was likely that other houses in the street faced the same problem.
Mr Quintas told the Sentinel on Wednesday that he was responding to residents’ complaints where possible.
“The inclement weather and tides caused by the ongoing storm conditions have brought misery and destruction to households and the seal rescue centre in our ward. Hangberg with its steep topography is affected, with many informal structures, in particular, experiencing adversity in terms of flooding and wind damage.
“Imizamo Yethu residents are facing similar challenges in terms of wind-related roof damage to informal dwellings. We are providing sails for roofing as well as sandbags for water diversion where possible. Residents are advised to contact the City’s Disaster Risk Management for assistance,“ Mr Quintas said.
The public should report any blocked stormwater drains as well as illegal dumping, as it could block drains, he said.
Hangberg community activist Warren Abrahams said several houses and shacks in the area had suffered storm damage, and some had had their roofs blown off.
“Most of the affected homes were in an area known as ‘Die Sloot’, which is above Salamander Road,” Mr Abrahams said.
Asked which parts of Hout Bay were experiencing heavy flooding, the City said: “Unfortunately a response to the very specific area is unlikely as teams are on site.”
City Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Sonica Lategan said more than 14 000 structures across the metro had been damaged by varying degrees of flooding or wind damage.
Over the past two days, she added, relief organisations had distributed 20 000 meals, 2 550 blankets and 2450 beanies to storm-ravaged communities in Khayelitsha, Lwandle, Gugulethu, Philippi, Masiphumelele and Tafelsig, among others.
