Blocked Drain in Cape Town: Who Clears It, You or the City?

Where is the blockage, on your property or in the street?

The City's own guidance is short. For a blockage on private property, call a registered plumber. If it is in the street or on public land, call the City.

The line follows who controls the pipe. The by-law describes a municipal sewer as a pipe or conduit under the control of the City. The drains and fittings on your premises that carry waste away are a private sewer installation, and so is a septic or conservancy tank if you have one.

A gully overflowing in your yard, a toilet that won't flush or a sink that has stopped draining usually points to your side. A manhole spilling in the road points to the City's. Where it shows is a clue, not proof of whose pipe it is, so the next section shows how to narrow it down.

How can you tell which side it is on?

Count what is affected. One slow sink or one toilet usually means the pipe serving that fixture. Several fixtures backing up together, or water rising in a gully or manhole, points further down the line.

Then look outside. Sewage showing in the road, on the pavement or in a manhole beyond your boundary is a report for the City. An overflow inside your boundary is a job for a plumber to look at first. The City's guidance is to call a registered plumber for a blockage on private property.

Keep people and pets away from suspected sewage and avoid contact. Stop using the affected toilet or drain. The City says blocked and overflowing sewers can be dangerous to your health.

When you can't tell, a plumber can look inside the line with a camera, which can help find the cause. Rods or jetting clear the line.

What does the City's by-law say about blocked private sewers?

Section 5 of the City's Wastewater and Industrial Effluent By-law, 2013 is headed "Clearing of blocked private sewers". It covers what the City may do when a private sewer on a property is blocked. This is a summary, not the full text.

First, the City must deliver a written notice with a deadline for the owner to clear the blockage, or to maintain or replace the private sewer. If the owner doesn't act in time, the City may arrange the clearing at the owner's cost. Where several properties share one private sewer, the City can do the same and split the cost between the owners it serves.

Then comes the protection for you. If a private sewer blocked because of a defect or blockage in the municipal sewer, the by-law says no costs will be recovered from any owner. That covers the City's clearing costs. It does not say a plumber's invoice is refunded.

The by-law's word "owner" is wide, so a tenant or managing agent can fall under it too. A blockage that keeps returning, or hits your neighbours as well, is worth reporting to the City.

How do you report a blocked sewer to the City?

For properties in the City of Cape Town, these are the City's own channels for water and sewer faults:

• Call 0860 103 089 and follow the prompts
• SMS 31373
• Email the City at water@capetown.gov.za
• Log it on the City's service request portal at capetown.gov.za/servicerequests

In an emergency, the City of Cape Town's emergency number is 021 480 7700, or 107 from a landline.

Give the street address, what you can see, and whether it is on public land. Ask for a reference number and write it down.

In Stellenbosch the municipality is Stellenbosch Municipality, not the City of Cape Town. For a water or sewer fault, call 021 808 8215, or 021 808 8890 after hours; the details are on the Stellenbosch Municipality water page.

Will the City clear a blockage on my property?

Sometimes, and not free for everyone. City policy says it clears private sewer blockages free for indigent households and at a tariff cost for others. It works on private property mainly to protect public health, after a notice has been ignored.

So for a blocked toilet line inside your house, expect to call a plumber. The exception is when the fault is in the City's pipe, covered above.

Rain is a separate matter. All stormwater from a property must go to the street or the City's stormwater system, not into the sewer. If rain makes a blockage worse, say so when you call.

When should you call a plumber?

Call one when the blockage is inside your boundary, when it returns after you clear it, or when you can't tell where it sits. Our page on blocked drains shows how a drain is cleared, and what a plumber costs shows how call-outs, time and parts add up.

Ask for the findings in writing. If the plumber finds the fault is in the City's pipe, you'll have something to show the City when you report it, though that doesn't promise a refund. Check the registration first: how to check a plumber is registered shows how.

Request a quote and we call you back. The plumber assesses the job and quotes.