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Upgrading Kuils River, South Africa

Developing a sustainable River Corridor Plan for the City of Cape Town.

Client

City of Cape Town

Project date

2026

Kuils River, located at the gateway to the Cape Winelands, is a vital natural asset connecting the eastern part of Cape Town’s CBD with surrounding regions. However, a 2 km stretch of the river in the Stikland and Bellville area had deteriorated due to uncontrolled erosion, encroaching developments and compromised municipal infrastructure.

The opportunity

The City of Cape Town required a sustainable and environmentally acceptable solution to rehabilitate the river corridor and protect critical water and sewerage infrastructure. The challenge was to co-create a plan that balanced ecological restoration, flood management and urban development.

What we did

Zutari, in collaboration with other partners, delivered a fit-for-purpose technical solution through:

  • Human-Centred Design: Facilitated workshops with multiple City departments including Stormwater, Parks, Environmental and Maintenance to co-create the River Corridor Plan.

  • Floodplain Engineering: Designed a 50 m wide, terraced, trapezoidal, grass-lined floodplain capable of containing a 100-year flood.

  • Ecological Restoration: Planted indigenous vegetation and constructed 2.4 ha of seasonal and permanent wetlands to compensate for habitat loss.

  • Stormwater Management: Designed wetlands to function as detention ponds and flood storage areas, enhancing biodiversity and resilience.

  • Stakeholder Engagement: Ensured alignment across departments and community interests for successful implementation.

The Kuils River upgrade integrates flood resilience, ecological restoration and urban liveability in a single, sustainable solution.

The outcome

The River Corridor Plan was approved and adopted by the City of Cape Town, aligning with its Liveable Urban Waterways Programme. The project not only restored the river’s ecological function but also safeguarded municipal infrastructure and enhanced the urban environment. It was recognised with the CESA AON Engineering Excellence Award (2021) in the category ‘Projects with a value of less than R50 million’.

The Kuils River upgrade exemplifies Zutari’s commitment to co-creating engineered impact that is sustainable and improves people’s lives. Through collaborative design and ecological sensitivity, the project sets a precedent for urban waterway rehabilitation in South Africa.

Adopting principles of human-centred design, the River Corridor Plan was workshopped through several iterations with various stakeholders.

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