A manhole cover was used to deliberately block a sewage pipe near the Colbyn wetlands, a local ward councillor said.
The blockage resulted in a massive sewage spill that threatened the wetlands, leaving a horrible stench in its wake.
“It was sabotage,” said local ward councillor Siobhan Muller.
“A manhole cover does not just land down a sewage mainline.”
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The manhole cover had been dropped down the 12-metre pipe situated on the N4, she said.
The cover was finally removed after “countless hours of pumping out water and drilling through thick concrete”.
“It is unacceptable that people who do such things affect entire communities for whatever selfish reasons they are doing it.”
The sewage spill was reported earlier this month, putting at risk the 7 000-year-old Colbyn wetlands and surrounding communities.
Muller commended the teams which spent hours working to fix the problem.
“The teams have worked extremely hard,” she said.
“It was an incredibly difficult situation 12 metres underground.”
The massive spill at the Colbyn wetland peatland, however, still needed to be cleaned up.
“It needs urgent attention and we are working on it,” said Muller.
“It must be handled carefully so as not to cause any destruction to the nature reserve.”
The spill – and its resultant bad smell – had nearby residents literally gagging since 1 March, when it was first reported.
Local resident Karlien Delport said she and many of her neighbours suffered from “food poisoning-like symptoms” such as nausea because of the smell.
Delport complained her 15-month-old son had been throwing up and coughing up phlegm since the spill began.
Another resident, Trudie Erasmus, said her children had asthma and the smell was only exacerbating the problem.
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