Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has praised Cape Town’s groundbreaking aquifer recharge project, calling on other municipalities across South Africa to replicate the innovative model.
Macpherson made the remarks during a site visit to the Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Project on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa 2026.
“It’s groundbreaking what they are doing here and very impressive, and it’s about focusing budgets on infrastructure,” he said.
The minister described the project as a clear example of how focused infrastructure spending can deliver reliable services to residents when they open their taps.
How the system works
The Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Project takes treated wastewater from the Cape Flats Wastewater Treatment Works, purifies it further at an advanced water reclamation plant, and then injects it into the underground Cape Flats Aquifer. This replenishes the natural underground water store, which can later be tapped when needed and treated to drinking water standards.
The water treatment plant, located in the Cape Flats, recharges the aquifer through a series of four linear filtration buildings. According to Infrastructure South Africa, the project forms part of Strategic Integrated Project 19, the national water and sanitation programme.
“Aligned with national water security objectives, the project contributes to the development of resilient water infrastructure that supports sustainable urban growth, economic development and an improved quality of life for residents of the City of Cape Town. By strengthening the sustainable use and recharge of the Cape Flats Aquifer, the project contributes to the region’s long-term water security and resilience,” Infrastructure South Africa said.
Response to water crisis
The project was commissioned in response to the severe Cape Town water crisis that brought the city to the brink of Day Zero in 2018, when taps were nearly turned off completely. By creating a managed underground water reserve, Cape Town aims to reduce its dependence on rain-fed dams and create a more flexible and reliable water supply system.
Seventy-four production boreholes have been drilled across the Cape Flats. The six million litre-a-day Strandfontein West Water Treatment Plant is in its final commissioning stages, while construction continues on the 10 million litre-a-day Hanover Park and Philippi plant. Design work is also underway for a larger 38 million litre-a-day Mitchells Plain plant.
The project forms part of Cape Town’s broader New Water Programme, which aims to add 300 million litres a day of alternative water supply by 2030 through advanced water reuse, seawater desalination, groundwater abstraction and clearing invasive alien plants in water catchments.
Innovative operations model
Macpherson said the City of Cape Town is on track to complete the project on time and praised plans to use an outsourced operator model for ongoing maintenance.
“What they are looking at is an outsourced model which will then bring an operator to maintain this facility, which is innovative,” he said. “I certainly support what the City of Cape Town is doing, working with the private sector to deliver services to the people that when they open their taps they will have clean and reliable water.”
The minister expressed concern about municipalities returning unspent funds to the National Treasury, saying the money should have been used for service delivery instead. “We need to get our metros moving in terms of infrastructure delivery and infrastructure maintenance, and we need to get the right people on the job,” he said.
Award-winning design
The Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Plant, designed by SALT Architects for the City of Cape Town, has received the Architizer A+ Award Jury Prize in the Factories and Warehouses category. The award recognises architecture that transforms technical and industrial buildings into meaningful contributors to the public realm.
Macpherson is attending the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa 2026 in Cape Town. The programme has been designed to facilitate meaningful dialogue, strengthen partnerships and create opportunities for collaboration among leaders shaping the future of infrastructure development.
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