The City of Cape Town’s construction of two new MyCiTi depots on the corner of Spine Road and Mew Way between Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain is now 65% complete and on track to conclude by May 2025. Construction was initially delayed by several weeks due to extortion attempts, but this lost time has been made up by the contractor working extended hours and on weekends. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis conducted a progress site visit at the depot on Friday, 14 March together with Councillor Rob Quintas, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility.

‘I was happy to see good progress in the construction of new MyCiTi depots at Spine Road and Mew Way, which will be at the heart of operations for this big extension of the MyCiTi bus system. The City is working at pace to expand the MyCiTi bus service to the metro-south east, specifically to Philippi, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. Once complete, hundreds of thousands of commuters will have access to safe, reliable, direct public transport along one of the busiest transport routes in the city. This project is part of the full 73% of the City’s infrastructure budget directly benefitting lower income households in 2023/24,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.

The 15-hectare City-owned site is strategically located near the planned new routes to save costs and accommodate more bus trips very early in the morning. Construction began in August 2022 and is set to be completed by May 2025. ‘The depots will house 290 buses initially, and many more as MyCiTi expands across the city.

The facilities will serve as a base for the MyCiTi service, including administrative offices, boardrooms, training space, facilities for staff and drivers, and security-controlled access on both roads.

‘The project is co-funded by a Dutch government grant and will create temporary jobs, local business opportunities, and permanent jobs once services start. The good news for road users is that there is no major impact expected on traffic in the vicinity of works,’ said Councillor Quintas.

As of February 2024, the following work has been completed:

• Installation of foundation and underground bulk civil engineering services including electricity, water, plumbing and sewerage services for both depots.
• External building work, roof sheeting and internal finishes for the east depot.

Work currently under way includes paving the staging area for the east depot, installing a permanent water connection to both depots, and finishing external building work for the west depot.

Help the City combat extortion

To help combat extortion impacting City construction and service delivery initiatives, Mayor Hill-Lewis last year launched an Anti-Extortion Campaign under the slogan Enough! Genoeg! Kwanele!

The City has set up a 24-hour toll-free hotline, with cash rewards are on offer for tip-offs leading to arrest and prosecution.

Anonymous tip-offs are encouraged: Phone 24/7: 0800 00 6992 Email: SSIMS.SSIUReporting@capetown.gov.za