The City of Cape Town has awarded the tender for a new weed harvester for Zandvlei in the Far South. If all goes as planned, and no appeals are lodged by 6 December 2022, the harvester will be delivered within nine months.

In the meantime, the City’s Fleet Management Department is in the process of applying for the extension of the SA Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) certification for the old Zandvlei weed harvester. The exemption is needed so that the old weed harvester can be used until such time as the new weed harvester is delivered.

The City’s Environmental Management Department employs Expanded Public Work Programme (EPWP) teams to remove weed by hand when the weed harvester is unavailable or in for repairs, as is currently the case. The past few weeks EPWP teams have been focusing on a few canals in Marina da Gama to remove algae by using a modified parachute skimmer to bring it to the shoreline. About 15 EPWP workers are assisting Zandvlei Nature Reserve staff with this task and more teams will be deployed in the coming summer months, as needed.

Manual weed removal is very effective, but labour intensive and therefore, an aquatic weed harvester is still the most efficient tool for this purpose. A weed harvester is a highly specialised machine that operates like a boat on water with blades underneath to cut weed. In Zandvlei, in particular, a weed harvester is used to cut pondweeds and also to remove algae in the marina.

The City will be meeting with the Zandvlei Protected Area Advisory Committee this evening and wants to thank the committee members for their contributions, guidance, and support throughout the year.

Source: City Of Cape Town