Cape Town loses R15.3 million to infrastructure theft and vandalism crisis

The City of Cape Town is grappling with a severe infrastructure theft crisis that has cost taxpayers more than R15.3 million over the past year, as criminals target essential water and sanitation equipment across the metro.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate was forced to spend the substantial sum repairing and replacing vandalised or stolen infrastructure, including critical items such as community taps in informal settlements, sewer manhole covers, water meters, valve covers, and fire hydrant covers.

The impact has been most severe in formal residential areas, where the City recorded 8,740 incidents of theft and vandalism costing more than R14 million. The two most expensive categories of theft were sewer manhole covers and water meters.

“We had to replace 3,094 sewer manhole covers at a cost of R3.8 million, and 2,602 stolen water meters cost us R7.5 million,” revealed Councillor Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

The theft also extended to fire hydrant covers, water meter manhole covers, damaged manholes, valve covers, and stolen stopcocks, all of which are essential for maintaining the city’s water distribution and emergency response capabilities.

While the financial impact was greatest in formal areas, the human cost is perhaps most acute in informal settlements. Across Cape Town’s 702 informal settlement pockets, over 1,200 incidents were recorded, costing R1.1 million to repair or replace stolen infrastructure.

The theft of basic amenities has been particularly devastating for these vulnerable communities. About 72% of the informal settlement repair budget – over R835,000 – was used to replace 923 missing or stolen taps. These thefts leave entire communities struggling to access basic water services.

“Something as simple as a stolen tap means a whole community can be left struggling to access water,” Badroodien said, highlighting how infrastructure theft disproportionately affects the city’s most vulnerable residents.

The vandalism in informal settlements extends beyond taps to include missing manhole covers, rodding eyes, toilet doors, toilet containers, toilet pans, and even the top structures of City-supplied toilets.

The theft of infrastructure components also poses serious safety risks beyond service disruption. Missing sewer manhole covers, for instance, create dangerous open pits that can cause serious injuries to pedestrians, particularly children and the elderly. The absence of fire hydrant covers can also compromise emergency response capabilities during fires.

“Vandalism and theft of the City’s water and sanitation infrastructure is unacceptable,” Badroodien stated. “Each act of criminality drains millions from our budget, diverts valuable time and resources away from essential services, and puts communities at risk.”

Recognising that the City cannot combat this crisis alone, officials are calling on residents to become active partners in protecting municipal infrastructure. The Water and Sanitation Directorate has established multiple reporting channels to make it easier for the public to report incidents and suspicious activity.

Emergency reporting

For incidents of theft and vandalism in progress, residents should immediately contact the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) at 021 480 7700.

Tip-off line

The public can also share tips anonymously through the City’s 24-hour tip-off line at 0800 110 077, with potential rewards available for information leading to arrests or recovery of stolen property.

Service requests and damage reports

For reporting water and sanitation service requests and vandalism damage, residents have several options:

• WhatsApp: 060 018 1505
• Online: www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests
• Email: water@capetown.gov.za
• SMS: 31373 (maximum 160 characters, standard rates apply)
• Phone: 0860 103 089
• In-person: Visit any City walk-in centre (locations available at www.capetown.gov.za/facilities)

When reporting incidents, residents should provide the street address and ensure they receive a reference number for follow-up purposes.

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