The City is tackling the river and coastline pollution that has plagued Cape Town for years, by replacing ageing pipes with larger mains designed to handle a growing population and cut overflows.
For years, sewage from Wallacedene has flowed into Mosselbank River through the suburb of Kraaifontein, past Durbanville and downstream into Milnerton Lagoon and the ocean; and to the south-east, it flows from the Botfontein canal into Bottelary River, at the back of Brackenfell into Kuils River, downstream to Macassar and into the ocean, polluting agricultural and residential areas along the way, as reported by TygerBurger for close to a decade.
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The City last week announced that its Water and Sanitation Directorate has been upgrading all 225 metres of asbestos-cement sewers in Belmont Park to 300mm diameter uPVC Class collector mains across four phases, totalling 1,6km of new pipeline.
Three phases are already complete, the fourth is scheduled to begin this month and wrap up by December.
Capacity upgrade
According to the City, the upgrades significantly improve the capacity of the sewer network, reducing the risk of surcharge events and adding capacity to support future growth in the catchment area, including additional wastewater flows from Wallacedene, which saw heavy land invasions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The R2,4 million first phase, between 10th and 12th avenues, was completed on 30 June 2025. Phase 2, covering 8th to 10th avenues, cost R7,3 million and was finished on 7 April 2026. The third phase, from 3rd to 5th avenues, cost R7 million and was completed by 31 July this year. The fourth and final phase, from 3rd Avenue to Plantation Road and into Voortrekker Road, carries a price tag of R7,3 million and is scheduled to begin this month (August), with completion expected by December.
The project used open-trench construction, where the existing pipeline is excavated, removed and replaced with a larger one. The method completely replaces old infrastructure, increases hydraulic capacity for current and future flows, and is cost-effective.
New sewer manholes
New sewer manholes were built at strategic points along the route for future inspection, cleaning and maintenance, while existing manholes were upgraded or connected into the new system. Other work included excavating and disposing of unsuitable clay, providing proper pipe bedding and backfill, reinstating roads and sidewalks, managing live sewer flows during construction, relocating affected underground services, and testing the new pipeline for watertightness and operational performance.
According to the City, the completed upgrades have significantly improved the conveyance capacity of the sewer network in Belmont Park, reducing the risk of surcharge events and providing additional capacity to support future development and growth within the catchment area.
“Once completed, a total of 1,6km of sewer pipelines will be upgraded, significantly improving the reliability of the network in Belmont Park. Crucially, the larger pipeline allows us to accept and effectively manage additional wastewater flows from Wallacedene,” says Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien.
“By increasing our capacity to drain wastewater from these expanding areas, we are protecting the health and dignity of our residents. Investing proactively in robust infrastructure that meets the realities of a growing population is exactly what building a City of Hope is all about. However, for residents to be able to enjoy the benefits of an improved system and avoid sewer blockages, everyone must play their part. Waste must be disposed of correctly and responsibly. Only human waste and toilet paper should go into the sewer network. Anything else damages the pipes and increases the risk of overflows,” he says.
Protecting health and dignity
Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the larger pipeline can manage additional wastewater flows from Wallacedene.
“By increasing our capacity to drain wastewater from these expanding areas, we are protecting the health and dignity of our residents. Investing proactively in robust infrastructure that meets the realities of a growing population is exactly what building a City of Hope is all about.”
He added that residents must do their part to keep the system running smoothly. “Only human waste and toilet paper should go into the sewer network. Anything else damages the pipes and increases the risk of overflows.”
