City invests in Cape Town’s regional parks, restoring heritage and upgrading public spaces
24 August 2026
The City of Cape Town's Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham, recently visited several regional parks across the metro to view completed upgrades, engage with stakeholders and reaffirm the City's commitment to investing in quality public open spaces. These visits also included the reopening of the historic Arderne Gardens ablution facility.
Cape Town has 16 regional parks, which are designated because of their size, heritage or environmental significance, as well as the important role they play in providing recreational spaces for large numbers of residents. These parks often attract visitors from beyond their immediate surrounding communities, with some serving residents from across the metro.
The City's regional parks are therefore important shared public spaces, supporting recreation, environmental conservation, heritage and social wellbeing. Continued investment in their maintenance and infrastructure helps to ensure that they remain safe, accessible and enjoyable for the many residents and visitors who use them.
Arderne Gardens
The City invested R1,4 million in the restoration of this beautiful and historic public ablution facility, preserving its heritage, while ensuring it meets modern operational standards.
The refurbishment included repairs and upgrades to the roof, timber doors, pergolas, ceilings, flooring and wall tiles, as well as new glazing, electrical infrastructure and sanitary fittings. Apart from repainting, new signage was erected as well as mosaic artwork inspired by the gardens' unique trees and plant life.
In addition, improvements throughout Arderne Gardens included repairs and resurfacing of
walkways and the restoration of five historic benches using their original cast-iron supports.
Regional parks
The park visits also highlighted ongoing and completed investments at several regional parks.
At Zandvlei Recreational Park, the City has invested approximately R1,42 million towards upgrades that included improvements to the ablution facilities in accordance with approved building plans and the upgrading of the communal braai area. The project is expected to be completed by the end of September, ahead of the busy summer season.
At Maynardville Park, the City invested R240,536.19 in infrastructure maintenance, electrical repairs and equipment allocation to support the continued upkeep of this popular public space.
At Wynberg Park, an investment of R259,871.84 funded ad hoc maintenance works and equipment allocation to enhance the park's infrastructure and maintenance operations.
The visit concluded at De Waal Park, where completed projects included tree maintenance, mowing, repairs to wooden play equipment, plumbing repairs to public toilets and hard surface repairs valued at R1,54m.
Looking ahead, planned works for this park for the current financial year include ongoing tree maintenance and mowing, repairs to the ablution block, restoration of the water feature, repairs to the historic bandstand and refurbishment of the park benches.
‘The City's regional parks are important community spaces that support recreation, environmental conservation and social wellbeing. Through continued investment and regular oversight, we are ensuring these valued public spaces remain safe, accessible and enjoyable for all residents.
‘Our regional parks are places where residents from across the city spend time outdoors, exercise, relax and connect with their communities, so maintaining them well matters. It was encouraging to see the restoration at Arderne Gardens and the work completed across these parks, while also identifying what still needs attention.
‘These are shared public spaces, and we need communities to work with us to look after them. I encourage residents to report vandalism as soon as possible so that we can protect these facilities for everyone who uses them,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
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