Have your say on proposed Faure New Water Scheme’s service delivery model
01 April 2025
Residents have another opportunity on Thursday, 3 April 2025, to attend a public meeting where the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will unpack its plans for the proposed Faure New Water Scheme (FNWS), a key initiative to enhance Cape Town’s water security. Residents are encouraged to comment on the project’s implementation – whether to implement it as a municipal-run scheme outsourcing its operations only or through a public-private partnership (PPP).
The proposed FNWS will produce purified recycled drinking water to supply an additional 70 to 100 million litres of water daily to Cape Town’s network, reducing the City’s vulnerability to climate change and reliance on rainfall to fill dams.
This forms part of the City’s broader water strategy to diversify water supply sources through alternatives, such as desalination, groundwater extraction and water reuse.
While the City is the designated water services provider for Cape Town, due to the unique characteristics of the FNWS project, consideration is being given to assigning an external company to provide water services on the City’s behalf, specifically for this project. To determine the viability of this option, the City is currently conducting a feasibility study in accordance with Section 78 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000 and therefore requires input from the local community.
The first public meeting was held on Tuesday, 25 March, and another one will be held later this week.
Upcoming public meeting details:
Date: Thursday, 3 April 2025
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: Strand Town Hall, Fagan Street, Strand Municipal Offices
Online: Meeting link (Microsoft Teams) can be accessed on www.capetown.gov.za/collaborate
About the proposed water reuse plan
FNWS is a direct potable water reuse scheme in planning, which will use advanced water purification processes to turn high-quality treated effluent into safe drinking water, compliant with regulatory standards.
This will be achieved by employing multiple technological barriers, including: ozonation, biological and granular activated carbon filtration, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet advanced oxidation and disinfection.
Once treated from Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works to safe drinking water quality, it will be tested to meet national and international quality standards. As an additional measure, the purified water will then be blended with dam water and treated again through conventional methods at the existing Faure Water Treatment Plant, before being distributed through the City's drinking water supply network.
Have your say
‘It is absolutely imperative that we engage with the public on the proposed New Faure Water Scheme, which is a vital part in the City’s action plan to provide water security for residents well into the future.
‘We want to hear from you and encourage all residents and stakeholders to share their views, which will be documented.
‘The City has established multiple platforms for public participation to get residents involved. All parties are welcome to attend public meetings and/or submit written feedback on the City’s website or through email. Most importantly, we remind residents to submit their comments by the deadline, 17 April 2025,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
Submit your comments by Thursday, 17 April 2025, on any of these City platforms:
• Email: public.participation@capetown.gov.za
• Online: www.capetown.gov.za/collaborate
• Deliver written comments to your nearest sub-council office: https://bit.ly/3CUlnKW
Once this first phase of the public participation process has been concluded, the FNWS project team will finalise the feasibility study and request recommendations from National Treasury. Thereafter, the public will be given another opportunity to comment. This feedback will be incorporated into a stakeholder engagement report and thereafter the final feasibility report will be submitted to Council for a decision on the best service delivery model for the FNWS.
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
