Lifeguard season comes to an end after safest summer in seven years
10 April 2026
With the Easter weekend behind us, the City’s Recreation and Parks Department advises the public that lifeguards have gone off duty until next season, and community swimming pools will close for winter – an opportune time for maintenance and upgrades. The Department has proposed a R20 million budget for 2026/27 for swimming pool infrastructure refurbishments, repairs, and scheduled maintenance.
Lifeguards play a critical role in the City’s Drowning Prevention Strategy each year.
As of Tuesday, 7 April 2026, the seasonal lifeguard contracts have come to an end for the current season. Lifeguards will once again be deployed as from October 2026.
Community swimming pools are now closed for the winter season. The public can still access the indoor swimming pools at Retreat, Blue Downs, Long Street and Strand, along with the Sea Point swimming pool – these are open throughout the year.
The 2025/26 season saw the lowest number of fatal drownings recorded in seven years.
In summary:
There were no fatal and non-fatal drownings at municipal swimming pools
There were no fatal drownings at designated bathing areas along the coast, while 38 non-fatal drownings were recorded, which could have been a lot more serious if not for the intervention by lifeguards, bystanders and other rescue agencies
Nine fatal drownings were recorded along Cape Town’s coast. Of these, all were male; two were teenagers and the rest were over the age of 18
‘Cape Town experienced yet another bumper summer, with hundreds of thousands of visitors to our beaches and swimming pools. We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the lifeguards who worked tirelessly to keep everyone safe, in spite of the challenges that come with water safety. Thank you also to our partners in drowning prevention, who contributed significantly to a successful season.
‘As we wind down the swimming season, the focus now shifts to maintenance and upgrades of facilities in preparation for the next season. We are now midway through a five-year programme to improve our 37 public swimming pools, with several upgrades already completed and more planned. We have also proposed a further R20 million investment for the 2026/27 financial year to ensure these facilities remain safe, accessible and ready for the next summer season,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
The City’s Recreation and Parks Department would like to remind the public to remain vigilant when visiting beaches, to heed warning signage and understand the risks and precautions that are necessary when entering the water.
Caption 1: Lifeguards at the Westridge swimming pool
Caption 2: Work under way at the Manenberg swimming pool
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
