Schaapkraal and Ottery roads undergo vital rehabilitation after severe flooding

Residents in Schaapkraal said they were relieved by the road rehabilitation, after a collapsed pipeline caused blockages and upstream flooding during the winter months.

The City of Cape Town’s urban mobility directorate workers are busy in Ottery and Schaapkraal as the project began on Wednesday, September 10.

The works are scheduled to be completed by Tuesday, November 25, weather permitting and subject to unforeseen delays. Work will take place weekdays between 8.30am and 4pm.

In Ottery, resurfacing is being carried out along Pine Close, Bishopstone Road, Cranborne Road, Stoughton Crescent, Sandown Drive, Bedford Way, Edward Way, Melville Road, Woodlands Road, Orchid Close, Beechwood Close, Newmarket Road, Charles Road, Swallowcliffe Drive, and Fairview Close.

In Schaapkraal, gravel roads along Vlei Road, Middle Road, and Schaapkraal Road are being graded, reshaped, and re-gravelled to improve drainage.

The work also included the raising and replacement of manholes, catchpits, frames, and chambers where needed. Stormwater channels will be reshaped, and all road markings removed during the process will be reinstated with new retro-reflective paint.

“This regular maintenance work prolongs the life of the City’s road network and helps keep Cape Town moving. We thank residents and road users for their patience during this period,” said mayoral committee member for urban mobility, councillor Rob Quintas.

Residents of Schaapkraal told Southern Mail that this winter has been one of the worst yet, as persistent flooding left roads waterlogged, cars breaking down, and families unable to move freely in and out of their neighbourhood.

At a community meeting last week with ward councillor Elton Jansen, residents raised concerns about the state of Vlei Road and Middle Road, where floodwaters turned streets into rivers. 

A resident said the water was higher than the pavement in Schaap Road, forcing them to turn around and leave children stranded instead of being able to reach schools.

Residents complained that water took too long to be pumped out, leaving deep ditches behind once it finally subsided. “We pay our rates - why should we live this way?” Thakieya Hendricks, a Vlei Road resident, asked.

Ms Hendricks said the situation worsened this year.

“Last week, they pumped the water out, and we could see the ditches in the road. Some people are complacent on sunny days, but we still fear what will happen with the next heavy rain," she said.

Another resident, Ilhaam Hendricks, who previously spoke to the Southern Mail in June about flooding (“Damaged pipeline causes chaos in Schaapkraal”), said: “I’ve been waiting for more than two weeks for the road to be pumped, and my business is suffering significant losses because of the negligence of the contractor. To make matters worse, my boundary wall is now starting to collapse due to being submerged in sewage and wastewater." 

She said they are hoping that next winter they will not have to suffer from flooded roads.