Junior City Council learns more about the City’s New Water Programme
05 August 2025
On Saturday, 2 August 2025, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien joined the City of Cape Town’s Junior City Council (JCC) on a visit to the Faure Water Treatment Plant (WTP). This site will be the future home of the Faure New Water Scheme, where water reuse and advanced purification technology will be implemented to augment the City’s water supply.
The JCC is an initiative run by the City, which aims to expose high school students in Cape Town to the workings of the City Council. The JCC consists of 50 dynamic youth in grade 10 and 11. The one-year non-political programme aims to foster a sense of civic responsibility among the youth and to develop young people’s skills and self-image so that they can become confident in their abilities to bring about change in their respective communities.
A tour of the Faure WTP gave the JCC behind-the-scenes insights into how municipal drinking water is produced. The learners were taken through the water treatment processes: from collection in dams, through the chemical and mechanical processes that it undergoes to become safe drinking water, and finally how it is distributed to households for consumption.
The day also included a discussion led by Councillor Badroodien on Cape Town’s 2030 Water Resilience Strategy and the important role that the youth can play in achieving a water-secure future.
‘It’s important that the youth becomes more knowledgeable about where their drinking water comes from. Global water scarcity requires that future generations adapt to a smarter water-wise lifestyle; and that they also excel in careers where advanced skills will be required to support the progression of alternative potable water sources such as desalination, groundwater extraction and water reuse
‘Observing the JCC members enjoying their learning experience at Faure WTP was especially significant, due to the role that this plant will have in the water reuse project which is part of the City’s New Water Programme,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
City’s water reuse plans
The City’s New Water Programme has four key components: water reuse, desalination, groundwater extraction and clearing alien invasive plant species. Together, these interventions aim to strengthen Cape Town’s water resilience in the face of future climate shocks, including prolonged drought.
As part of the reuse component, the City will utilise treated wastewater from the newly upgraded, high-tech Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW), located approximately 12km from the Faure Water Treatment Plant. This high-quality treated effluent will be relayed to the future Faure New Water Scheme, where it will undergo an advanced, multi-barrier purification process to meet drinking water standards.
The purified water will then be blended with dam water before being treated once more at the existing Faure WTP, which the JCC visited. From there, it will be distributed through the City’s water network to all areas.
The Faure New Water Scheme is expected to provide an additional 70 to 100 million litres of drinking water per day, playing a vital role in future water security as the City’s population grows.
The New Water Programme also includes other alternative water source projects, such as desalination and groundwater schemes, which are at various stages of development. Collectively through these projects, we are working towards increasing supply by an extra 300 million litres of new water every day.
Feedback from the JCC
‘As traditional water sources become increasingly strained, innovative solutions and diversified water sources are essential. This programme is vital to ensuring Cape Town’s sustainable growth and protecting residents from future water shortages,’ said Junior Councillor Hannah Joachims.
‘The NWP supports a growing society, improves health and secures the economy in a changing climate. I feel this is necessary for the development of the City to combat future droughts,’ said Junior Councillor Abigail Moffat.
‘These excursions are essential for exposing young people to real-world issues. Today gave them the opportunity to engage with the City's water challenges and explore how they can contribute to building a more resilient future. I am immensely proud of the group for the way they interacted with the Mayco Member and the officials,’ said Councillor Donovan Nelson the custodian of the City’s JCC. End
Published by:
Media Office, City of Cape Town
