Call them personal care wipes, or baby wipes, but whatever you label them, these items are responsible for persistent sewerage blockages in upscale Cape Town suburbs.
Image by Freepik
Plumbers in Cape Town are being kept busy, especially in suburbs like Camps Bay, Clifton, Bakoven and Sea Point. These areas in particular have experienced more than 1 000 blockages in the period July 2023 to March 2025.
The reason? Residents are flushing personal care wipes or baby wipes down the toilet. The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has said the ongoing problem is the result of improper disposal of household waste – with ‘wipes’ being the biggest culprit.
Maintenance is ongoing, however the blockages return regularly, often within days.
“We see an increase in the prevalence of wet wipes blocking sewer pipes in some areas. These should be discarded in the bin to be collected along with other refuse,” said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.
This calls to the plumber to once again be the source of information and education for their customers.
The causes of the blockages are primarily down to wipes, nappies and sanitary towels – no surprises there.
Communities in Cape Town are being asked to only flush human waste and toilet paper down the toilet and nothing else. Residents are also being urged to report missing manhole covers, as well as
Source:
- This item the No 1 cause of sewer blockages Cape Town suburbs
- Think before flushing in Camps Bay, Bakoven, Clifton and Sea Point
- Cape Town’s coastal suburbs report over 1,000 sewer blockages caused by wet wipes
