Members of the newly established Soet River Catchment Management Forum (SRCMF) joined the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, for a walk along a few sections of the Soet River in Strand on Wednesday, 25 September 2024. The Soet River passes through Lwandle, Nomzamo and Strand, then enters False Bay, passing through the Greenways Golf Estate.

The Soet River Catchment Management Forum (SRCMF) held its inaugural meeting earlier in June this year, followed by elections of the executive members on 13 August 2024, where Dave Walker was elected chairperson and Lionel Botha as deputy chairperson.

Walker, who lives near the river mouth along a heavily polluted stretch, is passionate about restoring the river’s health. He has been actively involved in multiple clean-ups along both the river and the beach. As chairman, his role is to ensure that there is collaboration between stakeholders, such as the City, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the local community, to address issues ranging from water pollution and environmental awareness to maintenance standards of the river and surrounds.

Catchment fora offer an interactive platform which brings together members from the City, other governmental organisations, local councillors, residents and businesses in the vicinity of the catchment area. For the SRCMF, some of the identified stakeholders include: Helderberg Community Organisation, IntsikaYethu Foundation, Gantouw Heritage Association, Afriforum Helderberg, Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement and Greenways Golf Estate.

The immediate priority is to focus on the upper section of the Soet River, which is currently in a highly polluted state. In recent years, unlimited volumes of solid waste and grey water have been dumped into the river, as informality and the general population increases.

Planned interventions to reduce pollution in the Soet River include:

· educational awareness campaigns

· increasing facilities for solid waste disposal along the river bank and supervision of those disposal sites

· installation of robust litter traps

· increasing the frequency and effectiveness of mechanical and manual clean-up operations

· targeted monitoring of illegal dumping of solid waste, detergents, oils and lubricants which will also aid in reducing sewer overflows

· increasing bioremediation efforts

· appointing river wardens

· relocating temporary toilets away from the river bank

‘The Soet River is in a dire condition and requires a significantly increased focus from the City, Sanral and other stakeholders. Through the catchment forum, a dedicated team can work together to set reasonable, achievable targets with deadlines, to significantly improve the flow and water quality. Doing so will reduce the detrimental impact on affected communities and the environment in the short term. The SRCMF is grateful for the support of the City and other key stakeholders and we will closely monitor progress,’ said Dave Walker, Chairperson of the Soet River Catchment Forum.

In addition to regular cleaning and maintenance, as guided by the Soet River Pollution Abatement Strategy and Action Plan (PASAP), the City plans to invest in the installation of litter interceptors in the river. This will assist with capturing litter and other debris before it reaches the ocean.

The SRCMF will also track progress on meeting all of the objectives outlined in the high level action plan on a monthly basis.

‘The establishment of catchment management fora remains a key deliverable for the Water and Sanitation Directorate as part of the Mayoral Priority Programme (MPP). In partnership with community organisations and through joint interventions, these fora can become drivers for improvement of inland water quality across the City.

‘It was a pleasure to have met with the newly appointed office bearers of the SRCMF. Their enthusiasm for restoring the condition of the Soet River will go a long way in making the proposed solutions provided for in the strategy a reality. We encourage the local community to get involved by attending forum meetings and becoming part of the change that we all want to see along the Soet River,’ said Councillor Badroodien..

Supplied by: City of Cape Town