The City of Cape Town has formally hit back against claims that a recently refurbished pump station in De Ruyter Street in Strand is “fundamentally flawed,” clarifying that the R2,2 million project is functional and automated despite ongoing noise complaints from neighbouring residents.
The response comes days after resident Philip Robinson went public with claims that he had been forced to manually manage the municipal infrastructure to prevent constant noise and water backflow (“Pump nightmare,” DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 11 March)
In a statement, Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation, confirmed that the spare key previously held by Robinson has been returned to municipal officials.
“The spare key was provided to the resident in good faith,” said Badroodien. “This was a temporary measure intended to facilitate immediate access during localised emergencies or to address specific noise concerns. The key has since been returned to the City.”
Badroodien emphasised that the De Ruyter Street station is a “fully automated system” featuring a duty and standby pump configuration capable of moving 173 litres per second, and does not require manual operation.
Addressing the backflow issues reported by residents – where water appears to flow back into the system – the City clarified that the culprit is natural tidal movement rather than a flaw in the new refurbishment.
Technical assessments indicate that backflow occurs primarily during spring tide events, when the Lourens River rises due to sea pressure. According to Badroodien, the infrastructure causing this issue predates the recent “Phase 1J” project.
“There is no design flaw in the refurbishment project,” Badroodien stated. “Rather, the current operational needs require specific maintenance to the existing infrastructure, specifically the sluice gate.”
The municipality is currently evaluating the installation of a duckbill one-way valve or non-return valves in future phases of the Lourens River Flood Scheme to permanently mitigate river water ingress.
While residents claimed a perimeter wall had been removed and maintenance neglected, the City maintained the boundary has always been a palisade fence, which remains in place.
Badroodien added that the station is currently undergoing “winter readiness” inspections.
The City acknowledged the noise disturbances that led Robinson to seek control of the pump in the first place.
While the pump is currently off following the retrieval of the key, the City is investigating “further noise suppression measures” to be implemented in future project phases.
