As Cape Town gears up for one of its busiest times of the year, local officials are increasing their operational capacity to keep public spaces clean, accessible, and welcoming, as the city’s annual Festive Season Cleansing Programme is officially under way.
Information released through the City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate confirms that this year’s programme has created over 2 400 Expanded Public Works Programme opportunities across Cape Town.
These roles include 2 048 general workers, 399 supervisors, 28 clerks, and 20 community ambassadors, all brought on board to support intensified cleaning measures throughout the metro.
To reinforce capacity during the busiest stretch of the holiday period, the city is bringing in an additional 673 workers through a labour broker for the six-week window between 1 December and 15 January 2026.
Officials describe this as a flexible staffing model designed to preserve consistent service levels without raising long-term costs for residents.
The seasonal cleansing plan is designed to target areas where foot traffic and waste volumes tend to surge. According to the details issued by the Urban Waste Management Directorate, the programme will prioritise:
-
Main arterial routes and scenic corridors
-
Beaches and major tourist destinations
-
Central business districts in the city and suburbs
-
Public transport routes
-
Illegal dumping hotspots
These zones typically experience increased pressure during the festive period, driven by holidaymakers, day-trippers, and residents on year-end leave.
Alderman Grant Twigg, who is the Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, said the programme is designed to support both the local economy and residents who rely on seasonal work opportunities.
‘Cape Town sees a major influx of visitors, including our friends and family members, over the festive season, and we want to ensure our services are capacitated to manage the increased demand as far as possible.’
Twigg added that the benefits reach beyond clean streets alone: ‘We are proud that this programme not only strengthens service delivery and supports the tourism economy, but also directly creates thousands of work opportunities for Capetonians during the festive season.’
Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!
Also read:
City expands Chinese travel marketing push after campaign hits R20m
Picture: CoCT/ Facebook
