The four departments within the Community Services and Health directorate, namely Recreation and Parks, City Health, Library and Information Services and Community Arts and Culture Development Departments, have been allocated a draft capital budget of R366 381 000 for the 2026/27 financial year. Read more below:
The draft capital allocation for the top five projects are:
- Cemetery Upgrades – R63 500 000
- Swimming Pool Upgrades – R20 000 000
- Vygieskraal Stadium Cycling Track – R20 000 000
- Rebuild of Suider-Strand Library – R19 524 373
- Strandfontein Pavilion Refurbishment – R9 067 182
Other projects include upgrades to the Delft Clinic and Hartleyvale Stadium; planning of the Parkwood Community Hall; expansion of the Lwandle Library; restoration of Brown’s Farm Library and additional expansion work at Tafelsig Clinic.
Construction of the Blue Downs and Westridge synthetic pitches will also get under way, with completion planned for the 2027/28 financial year.
As Cape Town continues to grow, planning for future burial space remains a priority. The City is committed to expanding existing cemeteries and developing new facilities, together with the supporting infrastructure needed to meet the needs of our communities.
Apart from the projects planned for 2026/27 financial year, the Directorate continues to identify and seek approvals for new and expanded cemetery opportunities in areas such as Strand, Kuils River, Mitchells Plain and other parts of the Southern Suburbs.
There is also a planned phase refurbishment of the Khayelitsha cemetery boundary fencing, due to extensive vandalism.
Over the last few years, the Directorate has invested significantly in the repairs, maintenance and upgrades of public swimming pools, as part of an accelerated swimming pool infrastructure revitalisation programme.
The Directorate also continues to invest in infrastructure repairs, maintenance and upgrades at various swimming pools across areas such as Khayelitsha, Bellville Central, Strand, Athlone, Mitchells Pain- Westridge, Gugulethu, Blue Downs, Atlantis, Mnandi and Sea Point.
The Directorate remains committed to its accelerated swimming pool infrastructure revitalisation programme with recent completion of major works at Goodwood, Bellville South, Newlands, Lentegeur, Delft, Langa and Manenberg.
In addition to these big projects, the Directorate also has hundreds of community recreational facilities, 102 libraries and over 3 000 individual parks and open spaces spanning roughly 5 000 hectares, which all require ongoing maintenance to ensure they are compliant, safe and well used spaces.
To this end, the Directorate has received a top up budget allocation of R150 million for repairs and maintenance in this new financial year, taking the overall budget to more than R950 million.
‘This budget reflects the City’s continued commitment to investing in public infrastructure that residents rely on every day. From libraries and community halls to park, sports facilities, clinics and cemeteries, these spaces strengthen communities and improve quality of life for all our residents. This investment is about protecting, upgrading and expanding those public facilities so that they remain safe and accessible to communities across Cape Town. We call on residents to help protect these public assets by reporting vandalism, theft or suspicious activity so that everyone can continue to benefit from them,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
