The City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management Directorate has launched its annual Festive Season Cleansing Programme, stepping up operations to keep the city clean, welcoming and prepared for the busy holiday period. This year’s programme brings a major boost for local employment, creating more than 2 400 Expanded Public Works Programme opportunities. These include over 2 000 general workers, nearly 400 supervisors, as well as clerks and community ambassadors who will support expanded cleansing services across the metro.
To further strengthen capacity during the busiest part of the festive season, the City will deploy an additional 673 workers through a labour broker for the peak period between 1 December and 15 January. This new staffing model is designed to maintain stable service levels during the influx of tourists and residents on holiday, ensuring that Cape Town’s public spaces remain clean and fully functional. It also allows the City to scale up services while keeping costs stable for ratepayers.
The intensified festive season operations will prioritise high-traffic areas, including major routes, tourist destinations, beachfronts, public transport corridors, business districts and neighbourhoods prone to illegal dumping. These areas typically experience increased waste volumes and foot traffic over the holidays.
Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, said Cape Town’s holiday season brings a surge of visitors and returning families, which places added pressure on essential services. He noted that the Festive Season Cleansing Programme plays an important role in supporting tourism, improving the experience of visitors, and creating meaningful work opportunities for thousands of Capetonians.
“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,” Twigg said.
The City continues to encourage residents to keep communities clean, report illegal dumping and play an active role in maintaining Cape Town as a world-class destination throughout the busy holiday period.
