Residential water and sanitation services

City welcomes over 1 300 new employees since July 2024

The City has, from July 2024 to 8 January 2025, inducted a total number of 1 371 new employees.

‘It was heartening to meet the 178 new City employees, and witness the assistance they received to be able to navigate their new roles. Creating jobs and empowering City staff is an important moment. It was fantastic to see so many women joining us,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys. As part of City’s comprehensive induction process, clinicians were stationed on-site to provide medical screenings for new employees, as well as guidance on the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and other wellness services available to all City staff members. This initiative highlights our ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of employees. ‘In line with our digital transformation efforts, we are pleased to announce the introduction of virtual registration for all attendees of the Corporate Induction session. This move to a fully paperless process aligns with our goal of enhancing efficiency and reducing our environmental footprint,’ said Alderman Uys. The City has, from July 2024 to 8 January 2025, inducted a total number of 1 371 new employees. A high resolution image is available <a href="https://bit.ly/3WeU8WG">here.</a>

2025-01-12T22:00:00Z

Planned water supply maintenance for 14 January 2025

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be doing planned work in the identified areas, which will result in water supply disruption.

Maintenance work, including pipe and valve installations, repairs and replacements Residents are advised to store enough water in advance, as a precautionary measure. Water should be stored in clean, sealed containers. Planned maintenance work will result in water supply disruption to these areas: Part of Govan Mbeki Drive – Lansdowne/Hanover Park The water supply to the area along Govan Mbeki Drive between Wetton Circle and Hanover Park Avenue, including the Lansdowne Corner Shopping Mall, the Astron Service Station, as well as Epilepsy SA in the vicinity of Fynn Close will be shut off from 08:00 until 18:00 on Tuesday, 14 January 2025, to connect the newly-installed pipeline to the existing water supply infrastructure. This will allow for the connection of the relocated water main to accommodate the current IRT road construction. Wynberg The water supply to a large part of the Wynberg area will be shut off from 08:00 until 17:00 on Tuesday, 14 January 2025. This will allow the maintenance team to urgently replace a defective valve on the 225mm water main and do a connection to the pipeline in Main Road, Wynberg.Affected residents and businesses are kindly advised to store water in clean, sealed containers ahead of the disruption to ensure adequate supply.This work forms part of the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s proactive infrastructure maintenance and upgrade programme, which ensures the future continuity of water supply by addressing the issue of unaccounted for water. The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience. What residents need to know about larger-scale planned water supply disruptions: 1. Careful consideration has been given to the planning of this work to ensure it is being done at a time that is least disruptive to the water supply. 2. All sites where water and sanitation repairs and upgrades are conducted are deemed to be construction sites and, as such, are off-limits to members of the public. 3. Sometimes the maintenance work can be more complex than anticipated, which means the work could take longer. 4. For a short period after the supply has been restored, the water may be discoloured or look milky. This is because of trapped air in the pipes. If left to stand in a glass, the appearance will become clear, like normal. For updates on the maintenance work (and location of tankers where applicable), follow @CityofCTAlerts which is a City of Cape Town X account. How residents are advised to prepare for planned water supply disruptions: 1. Store enough water in clean, sealed containers in advance for use during this period. 2. Keep your taps closed to prevent any water loss and/or damage when the water supply is restored. End

2025-01-12T22:00:00Z

Cape Town ensured no sewer overflow disruptions at beaches this festive season

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate successfully prevented disruptions at beaches due to sewage overflows, ensuring residents and visitors enjoy clean and safe public spaces.

The success is attributed to various cutting-edge digital monitoring measures, including the City’s Pump Station Control Room, a digital hub which monitors the telemetry alarm system for 404 sewer pump stations, 57 water pump stations and 60 reservoirs, ensuring rapid response times for urgent infrastructure repairs. The sewer network includes both sewer lines and pump stations, which are proactively monitored across the city. Special attention was given to pump stations near the coast in preparation for the festive season. To mitigate power supply interruptions, these pump stations have been equipped with generators or UPS systems. Additionally, maintenance activities have included cleaning all wet-wells before mid-December, regular de-ragging of pumps and impellers and live tracking of water and sanitation infrastructure performance through the City’s Pump Station Control Room.<figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"><img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/WhatsApp%20Image%202025-01-12%20at%2011.48.52.jpeg" alt="" style="width:1069px;" /></figure>These measures ensured that, where two sewer overflows arose in the vicinity of beaches – one at Kalk Bay due to a blockage and the other at Clifton 4th due to a power disruption – these were quickly contained and cleaned up without causing any disruption to beachgoers. ‘Pump stations are vulnerable to failures caused by factors such as clogging from foreign objects improperly disposed of in the sewer network, resulting in mechanical failures and pumps tripping due to overheating. From 15 December 2024 to 10 January 2025, 10 incidents occurred at pump stations across the City, the second-lowest number recorded during the festive season over the past four years. Through the vigilance of the Digital Hub, 92,68% of all failures at pump stations were resolved within 24 hours, surpassing the 85% target set in the Mayoral Priority Programme. ‘The City remains committed to delivering high-quality water and sanitation services throughout the festive season and beyond. With proactive planning and a dedicated team in place, residents and visitors can expect reliable services as Cape Town manages the increased summer demand,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.<figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"><img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/WhatsApp%20Image%202025-01-12%20at%2011.48.54.jpeg" alt="" style="width:1900px;" /></figure>Annual proactive interventions to maintain clean and safe public spaces include cleaning bulk sewer lines, conducting wet-well cleaning and maintenance at sewer pump stations, controlling water pollution and managing water pressure. The City annually replaces ageing sewer infrastructure to prepare for heightened demand. During the previous financial year, 96,8 kms of sewer pipes were replaced, and in the first six months of this financial year, 57,8 kms have already been replaced. Bulk sewer line cleaning is an annual activity, with a concentrated focus on coastal areas in the lead up to festive seasons. By the end of December 2024, 145,6 kms of sewer lines had been cleaned, putting the City on track to meet and potentially surpass the 266 kms cleaned during the previous financial year. These activities enable the City to maintain the integrity and functionality of the sewer network, although blockages still occur due to inappropriate usage. The interventions have contributed in reducing sewer blockages citywide over several festive seasons from 9 917 during 15 December 2022 – 15 January 2023, compared to 7 578 during 15 December 2024 – 10 January 2025. End

2025-01-12T22:00:00Z

Scholar transport in the headlights

The City's role is to monitor for compliance in the sector, but also to enforce road safety legislation.

Just like public transport operators, scholar transport service providers are required, by law, to obtain an operating licence from the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE). The City's role is to monitor for compliance, but also to enforce road safety legislation. During the 2024 academic year, the Transport Enforcement Unit conducted 72 operations focusing specifically on scholar transport across the metropole, issued 6 226 fines for various transgressions and impounded 246 vehicles, including light delivery vehicles, sedans, amaphelas and minibuses – in most of the cases, drivers did not have operating licences. 'I want to thank the operators who abide by the law and put their passengers' needs and safety first. That said, we are well aware that many people take to the road, transporting far more children than the law allows, in vehicles that really aren't up for it. Many of these people do not even have driving licences, much less operating licences. We take action where we can, but I also ask that parents be far more circumspect in their choice of transport providers. When you sign up, insist on meeting the driver, seeing their credentials and also the vehicle that your child will be traveling in, for your own peace of mind, but also to help keep operators in the right lane,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith. In general enforcement efforts over the past week, City agencies made 346 arrests and issued 71 963 fines for traffic and by-law transgressions. Law enforcement officers made 240 arrests and issued 6 696 fines for various transgressions. Metro Police officers made 68 arrests and issued 3 245 fines for traffic and by-law transgressions. The two departments also recovered at least six firearms and a zip gun in the past week. Cape Town Traffic Officers made 38 arrests, including 21 for driving under the influence of alcohol, six for reckless and negligent driving and 11 for other offences. They also executed 1 339 warrants, impounded 242 public transport vehicles and recorded 62 022 transgressions.The Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 1 686 incidents, including 98 fires, 73 assault cases, 235 noise complaints, 23 complaints of drinking in public, 49 domestic violence cases and 43 motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents. End

2025-01-12T22:00:00Z

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