Residents of Stuckeris Court suffer from a six-year water leak
Clive Jacobs, community leader and Mary Lombard, a resident, assessing the leak coming from the pipe burst at Stuckeris Court, in Lavender Hill.
Image: Supplied
It will be six years on March 26, since residents of Stuckeris Court, in Lavender Hill, have been forced to live with a persistent water leak outside their triple-storey flats, causing ongoing health and safety concerns, according to a resident.
The leak affects at least six households in the complex, with water constantly stagnating directly in front of one resident’s door. During heavy rainfall, the water overflows and floods the area, while in hot weather, it emits a foul smell and attracts flies.
Community leader Clive Jacobs said residents alerted him to the long-standing leak after repeated attempts to get help failed.
“I assist residents to log complaints when they don’t receive feedback from the City of Cape Town,” Jacobs said. “The situation is disgusting. It has become a breeding ground for flies and poses a serious health risk. Residents can’t even keep their doors open because of the smell and the dirty water.”
Resident Deloris Damons told Southern Mail that repeated complaints to the rental office have yielded little progress. “When I report the problem, they give me a reference number, but nothing changes,” she said.
According to her, City officials have visited the site but claimed that the matter does not fall under their jurisdiction.
“The water is always there. Every morning, I have to clean because people are coming in and out of the building. Visitors came to see my mother, Mary Lombard, when she was ill, and it was very unpleasant,” Ms Damons said. “When the water bubbles and overflows, it makes the situation even worse.”
Residents are now calling on the relevant authorities to urgently address the long-standing leak, warning that the situation poses serious hygiene and health risks to the community.
Councillor Marita Petersen (Ward 68) said the pipe was an underground burst that occurred when “we had the water outage two weeks ago. That was when it was reported. We had a number of consequential bursts after the main water supply was restored across the south.”
However, she said she will definitely look into the matter.
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