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The City of Cape Town requests commuters and residents to please avoid Govan Mbeki Road between the intersections with Sheffield Road and Stock Road in Khayelitsha, due to flooding. The City’s Road Infrastructure Management teams are working on a solution to allow for the drainage of the area, but urge the public to consider alternative routes in the interim. Read more below:

Over the past few weeks, the City’s Road Infrastructure Management teams have been struggling to resolve the flooding along Govan Mbeki Road between the intersections with Sheffield and Stock Road. The continuous heavy rainfall over the past few days has exacerbated the situation, and more rain is predicted for this weekend.

Unfortunately, the proper drainage of this road is being hampered by:

• the dumping of solid waste around and into stormwater infrastructure in this area
• the misuse and abuse of the stormwater networks
• teams being threatened and prevented to do repair work and undertake interventions

‘A week ago, the local Roads Infrastructure Management depot managed to drain a large portion of the road which enabled the team to fill the potholes. Unfortunately, we are back to square one now as the illegal pumping of water from the Thabo Mbeki informal settlement onto Govan Mbeki Road is continuing.

‘Our team is currently busy clearing the stormwater line running through the Klipfontein Glebe area in order to provide an option for the water to be pumped, which will benefit the community greatly, but getting this work done has proven to be a great challenge in itself. 

‘Our staff trying to implement this vital operation also fear for their lives as they face threats of armed robbery, assault and extortion while trying to do the work, which ultimately prevents us from resolving this issue. We are continuing with this operation as best as we can but the safety of our staff and contractors comes first. I am pleading with the community to cooperate and allow us to get the job done.

‘The City is investigating solutions, but we need residents to work with us, and support our efforts, and we urge residents to stay clear of this section of the road in the interim,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas. 

Most of the affected area is privately owned with no formal stormwater infrastructure. 

Historically, the stormwater was meant to naturally infiltrate. However, the ongoing illegal dumping and illegal occupation of land over the years have reduced and affected the natural infiltration of this area.

Submitted by the City of Cape Town