The City of Cape Town will commence with its annual beach lowering programme in Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Hout Bay from Thursday, 1 October 2026, if all goes as planned. This re-profiling or beach lowering is important in maintaining highly altered coastal systems along the False Bay coastline. Re-profiling will also be taking place at Hout Bay Beach this year in response to the accumulation of windblown sand along Beach Road due to the early and unseasonal south-easterly winds experienced this year. This will assist in mitigating and managing windblown sand from impacting adjacent infrastructure during the windy summer season.
‘The City uses manual and mechanical measures to undertake beach levelling by pushing the sand from the beach to the low water mark. Wave action then transports the sand back into the coastal system. By lowering the beach sand levels, we ensure greater areas of the beach become wet during high tides. In doing so, we limit the potential for windblown sand to blanket or smother adjacent roads and infrastructure during summer when Cape Town experiences high southeasterly winds. We are aiming to complete the work ahead of the festive season. I want to ask beachgoers to keep a safe distance from the work areas and to also keep their pets on a leash,’ said the City’s Deputy and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The beach lowering will take place as follows:
- Muizenberg beach: From Zandvlei River mouth to the Muizenberg Pavillion
- Fish Hoek beach: From Jager’s Walk (in front of the Galley Restaurant) to the lifesaving building
- Hout Bay beach: Adjacent to Beach Road
- Work will commence on Thursday, 1 October 2026, if all goes as planned
- The provisional completion date is mid-November 2026
Beach lowering has no measurable impact on the environment and has been done as standard practise prior to summer for decades. In fact, beach lowering mimics a natural scour event which is common on our shorelines, and puts the sand back into the sea where it returns to circulation within the oceanic system.
The beaches will remain open to the public, however, visitors are advised to always keep a safe distance from the machinery.
