| Infrastructure and services provide the
basis upon which the city is built and serves a social and/or economic function. Rapid
and urban growth in the CMA has placed greater pressure on existing infrastructure
of the metropole and necessitated the provision of additional infrastructure and services.
In addition, infrastructure and
social service provision is socially and spatially differentiated in the CMA. Previously
advantaged areas have adequate infrastructure and good quality service provision whereas
areas mostly situated in the south-eastern regions have minimal and often poor quality
services and infrastructure.
This section briefly outlines the various
infrastructural elements that sustain the productive function of the CMA: the road and
rail networks; harbour complex and airports; electricity grid and telecommunications. Bulk
water and sanitation infrastructure and community facilities are also addressed. |
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| Contents of CONTEXTUAL INFO on
Infrastructure: |
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| Roads |
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| The road network in the CMA is extensive but owing to lack of funding is
deteriorating as a result of inadequate maintenance. Whereas topography has shaped the
development of the network, the lack of financial resources has constrained its
development. The road network therefore displays inadequate route continuity. Table 1 provides a measure of the extent of the road network in the
CMA. |
|
CLASS OF ROAD |
ROAD NETWORK (KM) |
| 1 |
Freeways |
147 |
| 2 |
Primary
distributors |
525 |
| 3 |
Secondary
distributors |
744 |
| 4 |
Local roads |
5374 |
|
(Source: CMC, 1998) |
| The current spatial separation of work and residence as well as low
density urban sprawl that characterises much of the CMA results in huge daily movements of
people and traffic. This places pressure on the existing transport infrastructure. For
more information about the problems associated with the CMA transportation network refer Transportation. |
| Rail |
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| The CMA has a fairly extensive heavy rail network and is characterised by
a radial pattern extending outwards from the City of Cape Town CBD (Cameron, 1997) (Map 1). Freight lines, sidings and spurs serve the main heavy
industrial areas. The commuter rail services originated prior to the era of high car
ownership, principally to serve the residential southern suburbs terminating in Simonstown
and the north eastern residential suburbs between Cape Town and Bellville. The rail
network also serves suburbs on the Cape Flats. Stations on the southern suburbs line are
less than 1km apart whereas those on the Cape Flats line are greater than 2km apart.
However, most of these facilities have become degraded through lack of maintenance
(Cameron, 1997). Although the rail network is generally adequate, there is a lack of
rolling stock that limits the capacity of the network to cope with future growth in demand
by commuters in the CMA. A lack of
commuter safety and security on trains operating in the CMA undermines the viability of
rail as a form of public transport. This is exacerbated by inadequate ticket control
mechanisms, which jeopardise the profitability of the Metrorail service. |
| Harbour and airports |
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| The CMA has a large port complex in Table Bay (Map
1) and a number of smaller harbours which shelter fishing boats and leisure craft,
mostly situated around the Cape Peninsula. The Port of Cape Town has a wide range of
facilities including docks for conventional cargo and container shipping, oil tanker
berths, two dry docks and synchrolifts. The port handled more than 13 million tons of
cargo in 1997 and has an annual turnover of approximately R700 million (Portnet, 1998). In
order to increase the port’s capacity and streamline operations a number of expansion
plans are being devised. The CMA has
one modern international airport situated in the south-east of the CMA and an airforce
base at Ysterplaat to the north-east of the City of Cape Town. Minor airfields are
situated at Atlantis and at Fisantekraal near Durbanville. Cape Town International Airport
consists of terminal facilities and approximately 650 ha of vacant land. The first phase
of an R1.5 to R2 billion airport infrastructure expansion plan has begun, making it one of
largest projects in the Western Cape Province (Wesgro, 1998). Future plans include a
second runway, redevelopment of the terminus buildings and the addition of internal and
external transport links.
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| Electricity |
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| The CMA has a well-established infrastructure for the distribution of
electricity (see Map 2). Approximately 84% of inhabitants of
the CMA have access to electricity, although inequalities exist in access to these
resources by different population groups (see Energy). Currently
approximately 88% of formal urban dwellings and 49% of informal urban dwellings are
electrified (WCPDC, 1998). The
majority of electricity supplied to the CMA is imported via Eskom powerlines. There is,
however, infrastructure to generate electricity within the CMA. The are four power
stations located within the CMA - two standby gas turbines at Acasia Park and Roggebaai, a
conventional coal-powered power station at Athlone and the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station
situated 30 km from Cape Town, near Atlantis. The Athlone Power Station is operated by the
City of Cape Town and Koeberg Nuclear Power Station by Eskom. Whereas electricity
generated from Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is fed into the Eskom national grid,
electricity generated by the power station in Athlone supplies certain parts of the CMA.
The Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has a lifespan of 30 years. For further information
about the electricity generating capabilities of these power stations see Energy.
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| Telecommunications |
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| Access to communication facilities is not only necessary for the delivery
of basic services in critical social sectors such as education and health, but also serves
to stimulate the promotion of small businesses and to maintain the CMA’s
international competitiveness. Availability of communication facilities also influences
business location and investment decisions. The CMA has a well-developed
telecommunications infrastructure. However, more than 20% of households in the Western
Cape Province do not have access to telecommunications (Western Cape Provincial
Development Council, 1998). |
| Water and sanitation |
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Although there is a well-developed water and sanitation infrastructure in
the CMA it is unequally distributed (Map 3 and Map 4). The following figures drawn from the CMC’s report on
the State of Housing, Water and Sanitation (1995) illustrate this inequality:
- 2.9% of dwellings in the CMA do not have
access to a water source within 50 m of the dwelling.
- 10.5% of dwellings do not have waterborne
sanitation.
- 10% are without access to refuse removal
services.
- 7 200 dwellings are without operational
stormwater drainage.
- 81.5% of households have access to drinkable
water but only 32.6% of these are in black communities.
- 77.2% of households have flush toilets
within the house but only 25.2% of these are in black communities.
These estimates are supported by the
findings of the 1995 October Household Survey (CSS, 1996) (see Poverty: Table 1 and Poverty:
Table 2). For instance, according to the weighted analysis of this survey, 82% of
households have access to drinkable water but only 34% of these are in black communities.
Problems relating to water and sanitation
are particularly evident in the south eastern areas of the CMA, which are experiencing,
increasing population growth and levels of informal settlement (see Settlement
Patterns).
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| Community facilities |
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| A wide variety of community facilities such as clinics, halls, sports
fields and stadiums exist in the CMA. Poorer areas generally have a lower frequency and
quality of facilities. There are major problems of under-utilisation of facilities and
therefore waste of valuable resources. In many cases the community facilities are badly
located, designed and contribute to urban problems. There are also problems of physical
access to facilities. Map 5 shows the location of hospitals and
clinics in the CMA. |
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