Budget of Hope powers R5,39 billion capital investment in water and sanitation infrastructure

16 July 2026

With a budget allocation of R5,39 billion for capital projects and an operational budget of R19 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will continue investing in critical infrastructure and progressing service delivery from 1 July 2026. The funding will support efforts to build a more water-resilient Cape Town, ensuring access to high-quality drinking water, reducing sewer overflows, and improving sanitation services in informal settlements.

‘The 2026/27 Budget of Hope demonstrates our continued commitment to investing in the infrastructure that keeps Cape Town running. Every rand allocated is an investment in the dignity and resilience of our communities. Through sustained upgrades to our reticulation networks, improved sanitation services and proactive maintenance programmes, we are building a more reliable and water-resilient city that is equipped to meet both current and future demand. Our focus remains on delivering quality services while investing responsibly for generations to come,' said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

The 2026/2027 Water and Sanitation budget is as follows:

R570 million – The New Water Programme – Diversifying Cape Town's water supply:

Developing alternative sources which supplement Cape Town's water supply, is essential to improving long-term water security and reducing reliance on rainfall.

• R297 million – Cape Flats Managed Aquifer Recharge
• R140 million – Hanover Park and Philippi scheme Extraction sites
• R95 million – Strandfontein Extraction site
• R17,3 million – Atlantis Aquifer and Witzands Managed Aquifer Recharge Upgrade
• R5,6 million – Design and site works for the permanent desalination site
• R9 million – Finalising the Faure New Water Scheme design specifications and getting it ready to go to
• market, implemented through a public-private partnership.
• R5,8 million – Drilling boreholes at the Table Mountain Group Aquifer at Steenbras Dam

R1,11 billion – Pipe replacement: to continue replacing ageing water and sewer infrastructure throughout the city:

Water

• R68,4 million – Upgrading Bulk Water Infrastructure throughout the city, ensuring water supply is distributed throughout the city and minimising leaks
• R287,4 million - Replacing water pipes across our city, benefiting Gugulethu, Kraaifontein, Scottsdene, Retreat and Durbanville among others
• R1,4 million – Securing Hout Bay’s water supply by replacing aged pipes
• R25 million – Installing and upgrading Voortrekker Road mains, securing water supply to the central areas of our city
• R3,3 million – Securing the water supply to Simon’s Town and the far south

Sewer

• R365 million – Securing our sewer network and reducing overflows by replacing 100km of aged sewer pipes
• R19,8 million – Refurbishing the Montague Drive Bulk Sewer Pipeline
• R17,3 million – Constructing the Gordon’s Bay Rising Main, which will divert sewer flow around Strand
• R86,4 million – Refurbishing the Trappies Sewer Pipeline and protecting the False Bay coastline
• R237,3 million – Bringing more capacity to the Philippi area by upsizing the bulk collector Sewer and unlocking our ability to introduce more full flush toilets in the informal settlements located within the catchment

Informal settlements

R44 million will be invested in informal settlements for new taps and toilets in addition to services already provided.

R256 million – Sewer pump stations: Pump stations are the circulatory system of sewer delivery across the city, and this budget invests significantly in their resilience:

• R146,4 million – Revitalising and refurbishing pump stations
• R2,8 million – Raapenberg Pump Station upgrade
• R2,8 million – Witzands Pump Station upgrade
• R4 million – Langa Pump Station screens and pumps
• R41,1 million – Upgrading the Koeberg Pump Station capacity
• R53,4 million – Upgrading the Sanddrift East Pump Station
• R5,7 million – Upgrading the Phoenix Sewer Pump Station.

Koeberg, Sanddrift and Phoenix pump station upgrades will improve the movement of wastewater through the sewer network in the Milnerton catchment, reduce the risk of sewer overflows, support future development, and help protect the Milnerton Lagoon.

R37,5 million – Vehicle procurement

Operational readiness depends on having the right fleet. This budget continues to procure and replace vehicles to keep our teams on the ground and in communities – speeding up service delivery where it matters the most.

• R31 million – Buying more water tankers, sewer jetting trucks, crane vehicles, excavators as well as replacing other heavy vehicles
• R8 million – Procuring passenger vehicles that allow our water and sanitation teams to move around the city and assess our pipes, valves, pressure-reducing valves as well as replacing other light vehicles.

R1,85 billion – Wastewater treatment works investments – Major upgrades and phased improvements

Clean water out of taps is only part of the story. Protecting our ocean, rivers and wetlands requires world-class wastewater treatment.

Major ongoing upgrades:

• R530,6 million – Potsdam WWTW extension, which will protect the Milnerton Lagoon
• R1,1 billion – Macassar WWTW extension, a transformative upgrade serving the Helderberg and unlocking development
• R2 million – Completing Phase 1 of the Athlone WWTW upgrade

Phased improvements:

• R97,9 million – Upgrading the Wildevoelvlei WWTW dewatering plant
• R20 million – Upgrading and expanding the treatment capacity of Bellville WWTW
• R30 million – Equipment replacements at our treatment plants
• R62,9 million – Upgrading and refurbishing the marine outfalls at Green Point, Hout Bay and Camps Bay

Rivers and waterways

• R1,9 million – For the Liveable Urban Waterways Programme for the Keysers, Grootboschkloof, Westlake, Sand/Langevlei, Vygekraal and Manenberg waterways.
• R62 million – Sir Lowry's Pass River upgrade
• R0,8 million – Flood Alleviation River upgrade programme – protecting communities in Macassar and Strand from increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
• R29,3 million – Bayside Canal upgrade
• R40 million – Stormwater rehabilitation/improvements projects 

Treated effluent

R73,6 million – Investing in the better distribution of treated effluent at Scottsdene, Kuils River, Wildevoëlvlei, Stikland, Cape Flats, Zandvliet and Potsdam. This is one of the ways to save water, by using less drinking water for irrigation and industrial purposes. 

End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office