The iconic beach huts at Muizenberg Beach in Cape Town will be dismantled next week, and the City of Cape Town has explained why.
In a statement, it said a contractor will be dismantling the remaining four beach huts on the eastern side of the beachfront.
The City said its refurbishment project is making headway and work will soon move to the eastern side of the beach.
According to the City, it is important to note that the beach huts will be replaced with similar huts in keeping with the beachfront’s heritage once the project has been completed.
The refurbishment of the Muizenberg beachfront entails replacing the aged seawalls and major upgrades to public amenities. The project commenced in February 2025, and is set for completion by December 2026.
Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, said the contractor has placed about 60% of the precast step and promenade units, which will provide coastal protection while also providing beach access at varied levels.
He said most of the steps will be below beach level and invisible to visitors as it will be buried under sand under normal conditions.
“The in-situ cast concrete work for the Surfer’s Corner section of the revetment is practically complete, and work on the parking area next to the railway line and the landward landscaping have commenced,” Andrews said.
Beach huts
By next week, the contractor will be dismantling and removing the four beach huts on the eastern side of the beachfront
- The four beach huts on the western side were removed in March already.
- The eight removed huts will be replaced with eight new huts of improved quality for increased durability, while following the historic design and pattern arrangement as part of the upgrade project.
- The existing huts need to be removed from their current location as the new upgraded promenade will be further inland; the setback is approximately 2m. The setback is needed in response to the impact of climate change, including rising sea levels and storm surges, and also to ensure the new seawall does not reduce the width of the beach
“I know our residents are very protective of Muizenberg’s iconic beach huts. This is why we want to communicate upfront about the fact that we will be dismantling the remaining four huts so that we can start with the work on the eastern side of the beachfront,” Andrews said.
The Mayco member said this was good news because it indicated that the project was progressing well and that all remains on track to complete the work on time.
“I again want to thank our business community, our local community, the visitors and general public for your patience and support while we are upgrading this very popular beach destination. Your cooperation is much appreciated and makes it possible for us to work at a steady pace,” Andrews said.
The beach huts further down the coastline, closer to the river mouth, will not be impacted and will remain in place.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL
