Sewerage maintenance, relocation of Khayelitsha families delayed after vandalism of temporary housing

Efforts to relocate Khayelitsha residents living in shacks above sewer pipes that are in need of urgent maintenance have been curbed.

Dozens of temporary structures erected by the City of Cape Town in Green Point, Khayelitsha, were destroyed or vandalised by residents last week before relocated families could move in on Saturday.

Families are being relocated from SST (in Town Two) and Lansdowne Road informal settlements, both of which are situated on top of a main sewer line that requires urgent maintenance.

Collapsed pipes in October, November, and December caused raw sewage to flood the streets in and around the settlements. Large sinkholes formed under some shacks, swallowing furniture and the shacks themselves. On Monday, sewage was still gushing from manholes in Lansdowne Road and Town Two.

Previous attempts two years ago to relocate families living above the sewage pipes were also blocked by residents.

Forty families in the SST settlement had already been relocated, but 33 families remained on site, the City said in a statement on Monday, 5 January 2026. Eight families from the Lansdowne Road informal settlement were to be moved to the temporary structures on Saturday.

But in the early hours of Friday morning, 27 temporary units were “stolen”, and 13 were vandalised, according to the City’s statement. Additional security has since been deployed, and the City will rebuild the units.

Mzikazi Twani, who moved from SST informal settlement to one of the temporary units in Green Point two weeks ago, said the incident left her traumatised.

“Fear kept us awake all night,” she said.

She says Green Point residents removed a fence on Thursday night and returned at 2am on Friday with crowbars and hammers to dismantle the temporary structures. Twani’s house was left alone, but residents told her they did not want her to stay there.

“When I tried to video them, they threatened to shoot me,” she said.

GroundUp spoke to several Green Point residents who said they were not sufficiently consulted about the relocation. Resident Makhosandile Maqhashu said the land should rather be used for Green Point residents who stayed in flood-prone areas.

Other residents were concerned that the temporary houses would block access for emergency services. Resident Nosintu Nxokela demanded a written document specifying how long the relocated residents would stay in the temporary houses.

Western Cape police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said a case of public violence was under investigation.

Some residents of SST informal settlement are refusing to vacate their homes. Mlandeli Songelwa, who stays with three children and three adults in a four-room shack, said the temporary houses offered by the City were too small for his needs.

“I do want to relocate to the temporary house, but it is too small to accommodate a family of seven along with furniture,” he said. The temporary unit was a one-room corrugated iron structure. There would be no space to wash in private, said Songelwa.

The City said in a statement that engagement with the remaining families in SST informal settlement was ongoing.

Several people living in the Lansdowne Road informal settlement complained that their belongings were taken when the City demolished shacks two weeks ago. Yandiswa Nokhangela said her gas stove was gone. She said the materials used to build the shack could have been reused.

Nosiviwe Matomela, another resident, said there was no prior warning before the shacks were demolished. Her home and furniture were all gone.

The City did not respond to questions about these complaints. DM

This article was first published by GroundUp.