Raw sewage floods Gatesville streets, leaving foul smell and health concerns

A burst pipe in Gatesville, Cape Town has caused raw sewage to flood streets, leaving behind a foul smell and posing a serious health risk to nearby businesses and residents.

The incident was reportedly caused by a blockage in the sewer line, which led to an overflow of sewage sludge onto the roads.

Cleanup crews were deployed on Friday evening, with operations continuing into Saturday morning to contain the mess and reduce the impact on the community.

MMC for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the city is working hard to locate and remove the blockage to prevent further incidents.

"Our aim is to try and get this road opened up as quickly as possible. But also, at the same time to apologise to the residents in the area for the inconvenience that has been caused. We do suspect that there's a potential blockage somewhere here in this section of the pipe, which our operational teams will try and identify," said Badroodien.