​​Our efforts to mitigate and address the effects of the drought crisis have received a boost with assistance from Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba.

Minister Gigaba has approved the City of Cape Town’s request for departures from Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) regulations, Section 170 of which makes provision to allow us to proceed with a budgetary amendment.  

He has informed the City that he has been advised that potential regulatory challenges might hamper successful implementation of the water resilience measures to provide water to our residents.

The go-ahead from the Minister allows me as Executive Mayor to immediately incur and approve unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure in terms of the MFMA.

This means we no longer have to call a special Council meeting, but I will report on these budgetary adjustments to Council in December.

I want to thank Minister Gigaba for responding as this will assist us in speeding up the procurement process.

I want to extend a big thank you to Team Cape Town because the help of residents and businesses is vital as the City of Cape Town rolls out its plan to secure more alternative water sources. 

As at today, dam storage levels are at 38,5%, with useable water at 28,5%. Consumption is at 585 million litres of collective usage per day. Together, we have managed to bring consumption down to 585 million litres of collective use per day from pre-restriction consumption levels of 1,1 billion litres per day.

Thank you Cape Town for your all your efforts and for being partners as we adapt to the New Normal. We will not allow a well-run city run out of water.

We are bringing more alternative water sources into our network while all Capetonians must continue to save. The only way through this is together.

Yesterday, I unveiled plans for a new water source: the temporary desalination plant the City is building on East Pier Road at the V&A Waterfront. In the spirit of partnership, the V&A Waterfront made the land available to the City at no cost. Eight other desalination plans will come online in the next few months.

This signals the beginning of more partnerships with business and our residents.

In line with my commitment last week to communicate directly with all Capetonians, the City will make the dam level and consumption data available on a daily basis.

Later in the week I will visit the Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works, where the pipeline work has already started. This plant will deliver 10 million litres per day.

This is in addition to the Atlantis and Silwerstroom Aquifers which are already pumping 5 million litres per day into the system. This will increase incrementally to 25 million litres per day.

An online toolkit has been developed with various resources for all to use to help us to drive this message. Please see our website www.capetown.gov.za to access material that you may require. This toolkit will be updated regularly.

For information on how to meet the daily water usage requirement, residents should please visit the water restrictions page on the City’s website: www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater and utilise our water calculator: https://bit.ly/ThinkWaterCalculatorCT

Residents can contact the City via email to water@capetown.gov.za for queries about the water pressure reduction, or to report contraventions of the water restrictions (evidence should be provided to assist the City’s enforcement efforts), or they can send an SMS to 31373.

For more information on water management devices, please visit https://cct.gov.za/mXos4

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