The City of Cape Town has said that its Table View Beachfront upgrade project has faced significant challenges in 2024, which has caused delays in the upgrading of civil infrastructure. These delays have not gone unnoticed as residents have felt the impact too.
On Saturday, the City issued a statement announcing that the contractor’s agreement was terminated in November 2024 due to ongoing performance issues and failure to meet construction milestones.
“Despite efforts to resolve delays, the contractor failed to adhere to the approved schedule and address defaults within the required period, resulting in the termination of the contract. The City has, however, developed a revised plan to ensure the completion of the project.”
The Table View Beachfront covers a stretch of 3km of coastline, from Dolphin Beach in the south to Bokkomsbaai in the north. The long-term upgrades started in July 2022, with the commencement of a dune rehabilitation project which evolved into work on a new walkway, ablutions, and parking.
The City said that it will be appointing new contractors through existing City Framework contracts, allowing for a faster mobilisation on-site. Once appointed, the focus of the contractor will be on completing essential elements such as the stormwater outfalls; walkways; parking areas and ablution facilities through structured works packages.
Greater Table View Action Forum planning portfolio head, David Ayres, said that the lack of progress has caused frustration as the section where the car park is “is half-done” and taxis have been using the area as a stop-off point.
“This has caused frustration as they stay there for a very long period, and basically, it has caused people to not access the area as easily as they should. People really want to use the beach front, and be able to park.
“They (also) want to see a return on the rates and taxes that they’ve paid, rather than just continual excuses,” Ayres said.
Ayres also touched on the lack of transparency being an issue that the City needs to address. He said that there likely “won’t be a City official held accountable for appointing a contractor “who caused all the problems”.
“It is obvious that there will be extra expense and cost that the tax-payer will now have to bear.”
The City is hopeful that work will recommence in April 2025, if all goes according to plan.
The City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayco Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews said: “We can assure residents that the team remains committed to successfully completing the Table View Beachfront upgrades and ensuring that all remaining work is carried out to the highest standards.
“We assure the public that information around the new project timeline and regular updates on the project will be communicated through the local Ward Councillors, Sub-Councils and via the media.
“We share the frustration of the residents and thank all for their patience in the execution of this project,” said Andrews.
Ayres added that one of the points raised at ward committee level is that they want the addition of CCTV cameras to improve safety in the area.
“If that is not possible, then at least add the infrastructure in such a way that the addition of CCTV cameras along the area can be done easily.”