The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has increased security at 38 of its sewer pump stations, with an overall investment of almost R53 million.

The security upgrades were deemed necessary to safeguard the City’s essential infrastructure from the ongoing challenges of vandalism and theft.

There have been numerous incidents where pump stations have been damaged, leading to disruptions in operations.

This includes vandalism of the Northshore sewer pump station in Hout Bay in June 2022, which caused extensive damage to cables and electrical systems, and led to sewer overflows affecting nearby marine environments.

In May of that year, the Wallacedene sewer pump station was torched by arsonists, leading to operational disruptions due to flooding on site and along the interlinked sewer network throughout Wallacedene.

The year before, in August 2021, vandalism at the Site B sewer pump station in Khayelitsha caused major damage, leaving 8,000 households without proper sewage services. Some R6 million was spent to get it operating again.

The City’s MMC for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien says the security upgrades now implemented range from high perimeter fencing to the installation of steel doors, burglar bars and security guardhouses on site.

Each site was individually assessed and solutions were put in place based on the needs of each pump station.

The facilities retrofitted with new and improved features are located in various areas across the city including: Dunoon, Wallacedene, Koeberg, Goodwood, Wesbank, Belhar, Mfuleni, Crossroads, Faure, Elsies River, Rugby, Diep River, and Kuyasa.

‘Sewer pump stations have a critical role in conveying sewage from our properties to wastewater treatment facilities. Controlling access and tightening up security measures ensures that they function optimally, reducing sewer overflows, which result from incidents where pump station infrastructure is tampered with.

‘We are focussed on securing these sites because unfortunately, our pump stations are targets for vandals and thieves. Residents can also help by being our eyes and ears, reporting any information about criminal incidents or attempts when they occur, so that it can be investigated.

In addition to the upgrade project, other enhancements to security systems were done, such as installing CCTV cameras at seven pump stations and encasing inverters in steel cages at eight locations.’

READ: City suspects sabotage of Swartklip Road sewer