The City of Cape Town spends millions on manhole covers. (Duncan Alfreds/News24)
Vandalism and theft of manhole covers have cost the City of Cape Town a whopping R12 million in the past year.
Cape Town Water and Sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien said 6 590 sewer drain covers were stolen or vandalised across Cape Town between July 2023 and June 2024.
This resulted in the City’s water and sanitation directorate spending over R12 million to replace and repair the covers.
“This vital infrastructure needs to be in place to ensure the safety of the public and to safeguard sewer network operations,” said Badroodien.
“The City continues to replace sewer drain manhole covers that pose a risk to public safety and become the gateway for foreign objects to enter the sewer system, damaging pipes and leading to blockages.”
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In winter, missing drain covers add pressure on operations and increase call-outs, he said.
Excess rain floods the sewer network, which increases the probability and frequency of overflows.
“It’s important for the public to be aware that replacing vandalised or stolen manhole covers puts a strain on the City’s financial resources and causes delays in rendering services as maintenance demands amplify.
“Each act of criminality diverts valuable time and funding away from daily essential services,” said Badroodien.
In some cases, officials are forced to completely reconstruct the manhole frame, which increases the cost of repairs.
“Replacing manhole covers is essential to ensuring public safety for vehicles, pedestrians and infrastructure integrity. It also improves the reliability of our sewer systems, reducing unwanted experiences of sewer overflows on streets resulting from blocked drains caused by illegal dumping through open manholes,” Badroodien said.
