Winter Readiness, Infrastructure Awareness and Community Updates

As the colder months settle in across Cape Town, winter brings with it a range of seasonal challenges for businesses, property owners and the broader community. Heavy rainfall, flooding, sewer blockages, reduced visibility and storm damage can all impact the safe functioning of our public spaces and neighbourhoods.

This month, we share practical winter readiness tips to help businesses and residents prepare their properties and stay safe during the rainy season. We also highlight the importance of preventing illegal gutter connections, which can contribute to sewer overflows during periods of heavy rain.

The City of Cape Town has also launched a new Safety and Security App to log emergency incidents.

In addition, we share information from the City’s Investment Facilitation Branch (IFB), which continues to support economic growth and investment across the city by assisting businesses and facilitating development opportunities.

Read on for more.

Winter Readiness: Preparing Properties and Public Spaces

Each year, our City Improvement District teams work closely with the City of Cape Town and local stakeholders to support winter preparedness efforts across our districts. This includes reporting infrastructure faults, monitoring stormwater systems, assisting with urban cleaning initiatives and helping to identify public safety concerns before severe winter weather sets in.

What you can do to prepare for Winter

Businesses, property owners and residents also play an important role in helping reduce winter-related risks.

Property and Workplace Safety

• Clear gutters and drains of leaves, litter and debris to help prevent flooding and water damage.
• Check outdoor lighting and replace damaged globes or fittings to improve visibility during shorter daylight hours.
• Trim overhanging branches near roofs, pavements and public walkways to minimise storm-related hazards.
• Install or inspect non-slip mats and surfaces in entrances and high-traffic areas.
• Clean and test security cameras to ensure visibility during wet weather conditions.

Vehicle and Road Safety

• Check tyres, brakes and lights before travelling in heavy rain.
• Replace worn windscreen wipers and ensure demisters are functioning correctly.
• Keep emergency contact numbers saved and accessible.

Pedestrian Safety

• Encourage staff working outdoors or roadside to wear reflective or bright clothing.
• Report damaged pavements, potholes or faulty streetlights to help reduce public risk.

Reporting Infrastructure and Weather-related Issues

Residents and businesses are encouraged to report infrastructure faults and service issues to the City of Cape Town as early as possible.

This includes:

• Blocked stormwater drains
• Flooding or water pooling
• Faulty streetlights
• Damaged roads or potholes
• Sewer blockages or overflows

Service requests can be logged via the City’s online service request platform or through the City Call Centre on 0860 103 089.

For life-threatening emergencies, contact 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone.

For public safety emergencies within the Wynberg ID area, residents and businesses can also contact our 24-hour control room.

New Safety & Security City of Cape Town App

The City of Cape Town has launched a new app that allows residents to log emergency incidents directly with the Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) without needing to speak to a call taker. Residents and businesses are encouraged to download the app, register and familiarise themselves with the platform before an emergency occurs.

Illegal Gutter Connections Can Lead to Sewer Overflows This Winter

As winter rainfall increases across Cape Town, illegal gutter-to-sewer connections can place significant strain on the sewer system and contribute to sewer overflows, flooding and environmental pollution.

Many properties incorrectly channel rainwater from roofs and gutters into the sewer system instead of stormwater infrastructure. During periods of heavy rain, this excess water overloads sewer pipes, increasing the risk of blockages, spills and damage to both public and private infrastructure.

Property owners are encouraged to ensure that:

• Roof gutters and downpipes discharge into the correct stormwater system and not into sewer drains.
• Sewer inspection chambers are sealed and properly maintained.
• Private drainage systems are checked regularly for leaks, blockages or illegal connections.
• Grease, litter, building rubble and foreign objects are not disposed of into drains or toilets.

Preventing illegal gutter connections helps protect infrastructure, reduces environmental contamination and supports safer, cleaner public spaces during winter.

Residents and businesses who notice sewer overflows or blocked drains are encouraged to report these issues to the City as soon as possible.

Supporting Local Business Through the City’s Investment Facilitation Branch

The City of Cape Town’s Investment Facilitation Branch (IFB) continues to support economic growth by helping businesses navigate municipal processes and unlock investment opportunities across the city.

Cape Town is open for investment – and the City is here to help.

The City of Cape Town’s Investment Facilitation Branch offers a full suite of services to support businesses establishing or expanding operations across the metro:

• Financial incentives including fee waivers and electricity tariff relief
• Fast-tracked approvals for building plans, land use and occupancy
• Dedicated aftercare and business support
• Load curtailment options for large power users
• Business Retention & Expansion facilitation across 27 industrial areas

Whether you are a small enterprise or a large corporation, the Branch has the expertise and the mandate to help you navigate City processes and unlock the support your business deserves.

To find out more, visit www.investcapetown.com or contact 021 444 2830.

Working Together Through Winter

Winter places additional pressure on infrastructure, public spaces and emergency services across the city. Through ongoing collaboration between residents, businesses, the City of Cape Town and local City Improvement Districts, we can help reduce risks, improve responsiveness and support safer, cleaner and more resilient neighbourhoods throughout the season.

Thank you to all businesses, residents and urban management partners who continue to play a role in maintaining and supporting our districts during the winter months.