R12m upgrade for Cape Recife wastewater plant nearly complete
This will see the end of sewage flowing into the beach, located in a nature conservancy.
Of the R12m, R8m was budgeted for over three years.
The last R4m comes from the 2025/2026 financial year.
The upgrade forms part of a wider project by the city, which is upgrading all sewerage plants, including those that resulted in the closure of the Brighton and Kings beaches.
The beaches have been closed several times since 2024 due to broken infrastructure, resulting in effluent streaming to beaches, negatively affecting bird and marine life.
Mayor Babalwa Lobishe conducted an oversight visit at the Cape Recife plant on Tuesday, where a R2.8m generator will be commissioned.
'We've spent more than R8.6m upgrading the plant, it's a multiyear project which we committed to three years ago.
'It's safe to say that all the money has done the work it was meant for.'
Lobishe said the additional R4m was to deal with electrical connections for pumps to operate optimally.
'There was a spillage that was happening. It was meant to be attended to within three weeks, but we required a specialist for that kind of work.
'The work is in progress. We are 70% done.'
Lobishe said the spills on the beaches were a result of ageing underground pipes, which had reached the end of their lifespan.
'All our engineers are busy with this to prevent a similar occurrence in other beaches.'
Lobishe said the Fishwater Flats plant upgrades were due to be concluded in September.
'The necessary machinery has been procured. We are looking forward to getting the plant running fully to prevent further spills into Brighton Beach.
'The pumps are procured in Germany, which means it takes longer for delivery, but we should be ready for the summer season.'
She attributed the spills to rampant vandalism.
'The setback in the Fishwater Flats plant is not a result of our failure to plan, but is caused by what I deem as organised crime, where people go there with their vehicles and wreck the facility.
'We have since strengthened security at the plant and others, and replaced the stolen material.
'We also have been doing some work on the [Kings] beachfront where there was also a leak.'
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