City allocates R589.5 million for water infrastructure upgrades
Water and Sanitation teams install new pipe sections in Wynberg: (From left) Gareth Jansen (City Project Manager), Shameeg Gabriels, Alister Arnolds, Jeremiah Petulo, Robert Lazarp, Ignicious Chaiswei and Taurai Chaiswei.
Image: City of Cape Town
For the current financial year, the City aims to replace 50,000 meters of water pipes and 100,000 meters of sewer pipes. This ambitious undertaking will be supported by a R589.5 million allocation from the Water and Sanitation budget.
Since July, the beginning of the 2025/26 financial year, the City of Cape Town's Water and Sanitation Directorate has replaced over 10,407 meters of water pipes and 18,168 meters of sewer pipes in communities across Cape Town.
This ongoing investment is strengthening Cape Town’s infrastructure to ensure reliable water services and sustainable sewer operations, the City said.
It outlined that it would need to replace 50 000 m of water pipes and 100 000 m of sewer pipes in the current financial year.
To achieve this, R589,5 million of the Water and Sanitation budget has been allocated towards this ambitious target.
City's Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien explained the process: ‘By rehabilitating old infrastructure and swiftly addressing leaks, we can save water and improve the reliability of services. As rapid population densification continues across the metro, network upgrades are essential for reducing pipe bursts and sewer overflows.
City teams replace ageing water pipes to reduce water disruptions.
Image: City of Cape Town
Areas where pipe replacement projects are earmarked undergo a comprehensive assessment, which includes: a conditional assessment, determining the current capacity of the system, analysing structural failures logged by depots, and reviewing the frequency of service requests reported by the public.
Progress highlights include
July 2025
- 4 168 m of water pipes were replaced in Wynberg, Macassar, Somerset West, Brackenfell, Robinvale and Saxonsea (Atlantis), Scottsdene, Schoongesig, Boston (Bellville), Claremont and Nooitgedacht.
- 835 m of sewer pipes were replaced in Plumstead.
August 2025:
- 3 788 m of water pipes were replaced in Kuils River, Somerset West, Robinvale and Saxonsea (Atlantis), Scottsdene and Schoongesig.
- 11 585 m of sewer pipes were replaced in Lotus River, Plumstead, Kasselsvlei, Boston (Bellville), Morgenster Heights (Brackenfell), Century City, Kewtown (Athlone) and Parow Industria.
September 2025:
- 2 451 m of water pipes were replaced in Wynberg, Kuils River, Somerset West, Rylands and Boston (Belville).
- 5 748 m of sewer pipes were replaced in Plumstead, Kasselsvlei, Bellville, Morgenster Heights (Brackenfell), Bellville South, Century City, Tygerdal, Kewtown (Athlone) and Parow Industria.
The City cited that these proactive measures are part of the commitments made in the City’s Water Strategy, which also aims to use water resources more wisely, through effective reticulation network management and improvements in operational efficiencies.