IY Retaining Wall Update

After a difficult start to this project, we are overwhelmed by the progress made on this site. The construction of the gabion retaining wall in Imizamo Yethu for the City of Cape Town, Department of Human Settlements commenced in 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdown regulations allowed the Construction Sector to open up again.

Alongside the challenges faced during the global pandemic, the team also discovered particularly unfavourable soil conditions that was not evident from the original geotechnical investigations and testing. This, coupled with the high volume of rain last year, resulted in the threat of slippage along the slopes on the eastern corner of the site.

Slope failure occurring at Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay.

Despite these obstacles, Lukhozi Consulting Engineers prepared a design to retain the slope and avoid a slippage. A gabion retaining wall ranging between 7.5m and 10m tall, supported by a system of approximately 720 concrete piles is currently under construction.