More toilets and taps improve access to basic services

28 September 2026

More than 100 informal settlements received 815 new taps and 6 505 new toilets during the 2025/26 financial year, as the City continues to expand access to basic water and sanitation services where legally and physically possible.

These services are provided to residents at no cost, with ongoing maintenance and repairs also funded by the City.

Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Alderman Zahid Badroodien, joined by Ward 74 Councillor Roberto Quintas, conducted an oversight visit to Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay, which benefited from a R1,8 million investment during the 2025/26 financial year. The investment included 110 new full-flush toilets and 34 taps.

Tapping into 2025/2026

The City’s target for the financial year was to install 750 taps and 4 500 toilets. The programme exceeded these targets, with additional work undertaken in response to requests from newly established informal settlements and the replacement of pre-fabricated toilets (PFTs) that had reached the end of their lifespan.

Other service delivery highlights included:

• More than 20 375 households have new access to clean water
• Over 15 193 households benefited from improved sanitation services
• City maintenance and repair teams attended to 20 151 service requests across informal settlements for the 2025/2026 financial year.

‘Access to clean water and safe sanitation is fundamental to the dignity and quality of life of our residents. During the past financial year, our teams delivered thousands of new taps and toilets while continuing to maintain existing services across informal settlements.

‘We recognise the challenges involved in delivering and maintaining infrastructure in these communities, but we remain committed to expanding access wherever it is legally and physically possible, while ensuring that the services already provided continue to work for the people who rely on them,’ said Alderman Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

Looking ahead for 2026/2027

The City will invest a further R44 million in ISBS services during the 2026/27 financial year, with planned installations in Gugulethu, Delft, Khayelitsha, Blue Downs, Philippi, Hout Bay, Kraaifontein, Langa, Bloekombos, Strandfontein, Nyanga and Dunoon.