Residents of Khayalethu Valley, a township in Knysna, have been contending with sewage leaks, burst water pipes and piles of rubbish for many years.
But Sindiswa Ndede, 75, who moved into an RDP house in the area about two decades ago, faces an additional problem — flooding believed to be caused by underground or “subsurface” water brought on by heavy rains.
A big pool of water — described as “a dam” by several neighbours in the low-lying street in Ward 7 who are also affected — has welled up behind her small home, preventing her from opening her back door.
But it gets worse.
Ndede, who lives alone, said parts of her home itself were often flooded by the rising water.
She also injured herself about two years ago while climbing a wall to access the front entrance of her water-soaked property.
Her home is in a fragile state, having been built in a natural depression, with water gushing from underground sometimes entering the property through the bathroom floor.
Though she has reported the matter to municipal housing officials, the situation has yet to be rectified.
“I fell from the retaining wall surrounding my house and received a permanent injury in my arms,” she said.
“Since then, it has been a struggle for me to jump over the water surrounding the house.
“I also have to make sure that I’m wiping the floor regularly inside and remove all of the water coming from the toilet floor.
“All I am asking is to be moved to a temporary shack,” she said.
Another Khayalethu Valley resident, Xoliswa Feni, 50, faces a similar problem and has yet to receive assistance.
“For years, water will come from underneath the tiles in the toilet of the bathroom to the living room.
“I had to take my disabled child to his paternal family because I could not take care of him in this house.
“It is cold and always wet.
“My son, who still stays with me, has a responsibility to wipe the floor dry, which is affecting his health,” Feni said.
Knysna municipality head of communication Christopher Bezuidenhout said officials were aware of the concerns raised by Khayalethu Valley residents and had investigated the problem.
“A site inspection conducted on June 9 found that the property occupied by Ms Sindiswa Ndede is situated within a natural depression.
“While the erf slopes from east to west, where an open stormwater channel is available for connection by property owners, no evidence of sewer ‘spillages’ was observed during the inspection.
“The reported water accumulation is believed to be standing stormwater, potentially exacerbated by subsurface water movement, particularly following the recent periods of heavy rainfall experienced in the area.
“In general, the management of on-site stormwater within private properties remains the responsibility of the property owner, including connection to the municipal stormwater system, where such infrastructure is available.”
When asked why the municipality had approved the development of RDP housing in a “wet” site, where subsurface water was a problem, the municipality’s housing department failed to respond.
Officials also did not respond to a question on requests by the affected residents to be relocated to temporary accommodation in the area.
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