This is a City of Cape Town and a civil society initiative.
A brief history
Zandvlei, Westlake Wetlands.
The Background
The initiative of the CSRM Branch (Catchment, Stormwater and River Management) of the TR&S Directorate (Transport Roads and Stormwater) of the City of Cape Town.
Zandvlei Trust members lobbied the City to start a forum to discuss the issues of the catchment, and interact by exchanging all relevant information.
This Forum started in 1998 and provides the opportunity for civil society, local and provincial government to discuss and formulate management options for the catchment. The founding Chairman, was Bryan Nicolson from Catchment, Stormwater and River Management of the City of Cape Town in 1998.
Vincent Marincowitz, a Zandvlei Trust Exco member, lobbied for the formulation of this Forum, along with others.
The goals were:
- so as to enhance water quality,
- minimize flood risks and
- increase general amenity value of the drainage system and its immediate environs.
- The draft minutes of the meetings, are below and are not signed or approved.
- These are for general information, so that the workings and discussions of this group may be understood.
- Their concern and focus is the management of the catchment of Zandvlei.
- The Zandvlei Action Committee (ZAC) minutes are annexed to the Sand River Catchment Forum minutes. This group of City officials and civil society user groups of Zandvlei, meet to discuss and “put into action” measures to help with the overall management of this estuary, river systems, wetlands and waterbody.
- Martin Thompson is the Chairman of the Forum.
Further background information
November 2015
The Forum reconvened after more than a years break due to re-organisation within the Catchment Management devision of the City of Cape Town.
Abdullah Parker chaired the meeting on the 11 November 2015. At this meeting Bob Craske (Marina da Gama representative) was elected as Chairman. He was nominated by Abdullah Parker for the position. The Deputy Chairman elected is Eugene Moll.
The name of the Forum was also changed by concensus to the Zandvlei Catchment Forum.
July 2007
The agenda for the first re-instated meeting on 24 July 2007 has been sent to the role players.
March 2007
An outcome of the last Mayoral meeting is that the Forum will start again. Martin Thompson will Chair the meetings.
Zandvlei Trust proposes these meetings should be held quarterly with all the representatives of the civil society and the relevant City officals in the catchment of Zandvlei.
February 2007
The Mayor asked Barry Wood to start the Sand River Catchment Forum Meetings again.
January 2007
Zandvlei Trust is lobbying to have these important meetings re-instated. Meetings with the Mayor of Cape Town took place.
September 2005
Chairman of the SRCMF left the City, and no further Sand River Catchment Forum meetings have took place.
Participants
The following organisations and businesses have participated:
- City of Cape Town – Transport for Cape Town,
- City of Cape Town – Environmental Resource Management,
- City of Cape Town – Planning,
- City of Cape Town – Health,
- City of Cape Town – Parks,
- City of Cape Town – Utility Services,
- Table Mountain National Park,
- Friends of Constantia Valley Greenbelts,
- Friends of Tokai Planations,
- Friends of Die Oog,
- Friends of the Kistenhof Wetlands,
- Friends of Park Island,
- Friends of the Keysers River,
- WESSA,
- Working for Wetlands, Western Cape,
- SANBI – Urban Conservation,
- Constantia Property Owners Asssociation,
- Constantia Hills Residents Association,
- Zandvlei Trust,
- Wetland Solutions,
- Constantia Wine Route – Buitenwerwachting Wine Estate.