Residents and visitors to Gordon’s Bay shores can expect to see heavy machinery on local beaches, as the City of Cape Town started its annual dune maintenance and rehabilitation programme on Monday (4 May).

The project, scheduled to run until the end of the month, forms part of a broader initiative to manage coastal windblown sand and maintain the ecological integrity of the False Bay coastline.

The annual earthworks are a response to the natural accumulation of sand caused by wind and tidal processes. To manage this, the City uses frontal nets placed at the “toe” of the dunes to trap sand before it migrates into infrastructure or residential areas.

Eddie Andrews, deputy mayor and Mayoral Committee member for Spatial Planning and the Environment, said the process is essential for the long-term health of the beach.

“These nets will be lifted and the clean accumulated sand will be placed back into the sea below the low water mark,” Andrews explained. “The purpose of the annual earthworks is to return windblown sand to the sea and back into circulation.”

The work will be carried out using an excavator and articulated tipper truck, both of which will be visible on the beach throughout the month.

Beyond sand management, these dune systems serve a critical environmental purpose, acting as a reservoir that replenishes the beach during and after significant erosion events such as winter storms.

Andrews described dune rehabilitation as a strategic investment in the City’s natural infrastructure.

“Dune rehabilitation is the most cost-effective and pragmatic approach to protect and rehabilitate ecosystems and ecological infrastructure. When fully functional, these systems help to create quality coastal spaces for all of us.”