The coastal walkaway between Muizenberg and St James in the South has been recently enhanced with new steel railings by the City’s Coastal Management Branch.
The City said due to a combination of wave action, rust and vandalism over the last few years, the safety railings along the length of the walkway were lost.
The walkway is one of the most popular and scenic walkways in Cape Town with locals and tourists alike enjoying a stroll along this path, which adds to the coastal towns’ sense of place.
The City said given the location of the walkway, and it being this narrow and elevated, railings are a requirement in the interest of public safety. Deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, said they well are aware that stainless steel railings may be targeted, but this is the only durable material so close to the sea. “I, therefore, want to appeal to local residents, and the general public, to please help us by reporting vandalism and theft, or any suspicious activities. The railings are to the benefit of all of us,” he said.
- This is a high saline environment that is exposed to constant wave action and the only material that is long-lasting in this location is stainless steel
- The previous railings had plain steel footings. These footings rust and in the process of rusting has caused significant damage to the walkway concrete slab that will now need to be repaired. Stainless steel will have significantly less corrosion over time
- The choice of railings has enhanced the look, feel and sense of place of what is one of the most beautiful coastal walkways in Cape Town
The city added that they undertook a trial section that remained in place for over 18 months before installing the railings and that gave them the confidence that they could proceed with installing stainless steel railings along the remainder of the walkway.
Andrews said there is a risk of theft of these railings for re-sale as scrap metal and they have also increased security patrols at night along the walkway as part of the general coastal security patrol. He said they will also be investigating the use of CCTV cameras to monitor not just the railings but to primarily increase public safety along the walkway.
“This is a wonderful walkway that belongs to all of us and we believe that the railings provide a critical public safety component. I appeal to residents who notice any suspicious activity to immediately report this to the City’s 107 number so that we can keep our public assets safe to the benefit of all of us.”
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Picture: City of Cape Town