Cape Town has reached a major milestone in its effort to restore the city’s recreational vleis, with the historic large-scale dredging at Zeekoevlei now in full swing.
This is the first dredging of a city vlei in 42 years, marking a turning point for environmental rehabilitation in one of the Cape Flats’ most important waterbodies.
The project, which commenced on June 30 this year, aims to remove nutrient- and pollutant-rich sediment that has accumulated on the lakebed. Using innovative floating machinery, dredging teams can extend far beyond the shoreline and work deep into the vlei’s waters.
Dredging at Zeekoevlei makes progress
According to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who recently visited the site, the operation represents a “critical milestone” in the City’s pledge to restore urban waterways. The work will continue for 26 months, focusing first on Storm Bay and then shifting to Home Bay.
Preparations for the dredging were extensive: a 4.3 km slurry pipeline was built to transport sediment from Zeekoevlei to dewatering ponds at the Cape Flats Wastewater Treatment Works, where the material is dried and reduced. A floating suction dredger, tested and assembled on site, now operates daily from 06:00 to 19:00 with a team of 15 specialists, including divers, dredge operators, and deck hands.
Progress is already visible. So far, around 15 200 m³ of sediment has been removed from Storm Bay. The total target for this section is 207 000 m³, expected to take about a year to complete.
Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews also noted that drier months ahead will speed up sediment drying and improve working conditions for the teams.
Weed harvesters boost capacity at Zandvlei
While Zeekoevlei’s dredging takes centre stage, the City has also bolstered its environmental management efforts at Zandvlei, where a second weed harvester, named Spoonbill after a public nomination process, has been delivered. The vessel doubles the City’s capacity to manage aquatic vegetation in Zandvlei’s canals and main waterbody.
Weed harvesters play a vital role in removing pondweed and algae, extracting excess nutrients that fuel algal blooms and oxygen depletion. Alongside the Spoonbill at Zandvlei, another new harvester is now operating at Rietvlei.
Together, these interventions form part of a broader push to rehabilitate Cape Town’s vleis, making them cleaner, safer, and more resilient ecosystems.
Which other waterbody in Cape Town or South Africa needs dredging?
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