In preparation for the busy summer season the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has intensified maintenance at its 487 sewer-pump stations, including 102 along the coastline, to ensure reliable operations and clean, enjoyable beach days for residents and visitors.
Large investments
This forms part of the City’s multi-million-rand investment to upgrade these critical facilities over the ensuing months. The directorate manages 487 sewer pump stations across Cape Town and along the coast, such as at Melkbosstrand, Big Bay, Sunset Beach, Milnerton, the Atlantic Seaboard, Llandudno, Hout Bay, Kommetjie, Simon’s Town, Fish Hoek/Kalk Bay, Mitchells Plain, Muizenberg, Strand and Gordon’s Bay.
Since July 2024 the City has invested approximately R176 million in upgrades to its pump station network. This includes installing screening facilities, procuring spare pumps and valves, upgrading Motor Control Centres (MCCs) and implementing other infrastructure improvements to strengthen reliability and resilience. In preparation for summer the pump station teams have intensified their maintenance efforts to ensure these facilities are operating effectively and creating a safe and enjoyable environment for communities and beach goers across Cape Town.
These proactive initiatives include:
– Conducting daily inspections at all coastal pump stations from 1 November 2025 to clean wet wells and check for wear, damage, or leaks.
– Deploying standby teams for prompt after-hours emergency response.
– Increasing the frequency of wet well cleaning to handle higher summer flows.
– De-ragging of pumps and impellers weekly to prevent clogs.
Servicing generators and inverters to ensure reliability during power outages. Monitoring telemetry systems to detect unusual patterns or malfunctions early. Establishing a dedicated 24/7 Spill Mitigation Team to respond rapidly to incidents and minimise impacts on beach areas. “Summer is when Cape Town shines,” Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for water and sanitation pointed out, “and we want our beaches and communities to experience that without interruptions. Our teams have been preparing for months to ensure our pump stations perform reliably, but we need everyone’s help. A simple act like not flushing wet wipes or pouring oil down the drain can prevent a spill and keep our city clean.”
Hassle-free beach days
Residents and visitors can help ensure hassle-free beach days by disposing of waste correctly. Items like wet wipes, cooking oil and sanitary products should never be flushed or poured down drains, as they cause blockages that can lead to sewer spills. What you can do:
– Only flush toilet paper and human waste. Nothing else.
– Pour used cooking oil into a bottle and bin it, not down the sink.
– Bin it. Don’t block it. Put all solid waste in the bin, not the toilet or drain.
– Encourage your friends and neighbours to do the same.
– Report illegal dumping to the City’s hotline at 0860 103 089
