The City of Cape Town is sounding the alarm over the high cost of illegal dumping into the sewer system, a problem that continues to drain both money and resources.

The City says of the R228 million spent on sewer maintenance, R137 million went towards clearing preventable blockages caused by items that should never have entered the system. That’s roughly R11.4 million every month, or R376,000 a day. The remaining R91 million was used to deal with blockages caused by natural factors such as sand and tree roots.

Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation says beyond the financial impact, these incidents take up valuable time and manpower.

“On average, City teams clear a misuse-related blockage every eight minutes, costing around R2,000 per callout, covering staff time, equipment, and materials. The cost increases further when specialised vehicles like jetting or vacuum tankers are needed, or when operations require additional cleaning, disinfection, or security support in high-risk areas.”

Badroodien says the problem is both costly and avoidable.

“Every time someone flushes or dumps wet wipes, rags, rubble, and other items that don’t belong in the sewer, it places an enormous strain on our system. It’s especially frustrating when these incidents happen repeatedly, as the City is forced to respond to a problem that could have been prevented.”

The City continues to urge residents to dispose of waste responsibly and protect critical infrastructure from unnecessary damage.