Bayside Canal upgrades in Milnerton: City prepares to restart construction
Image: Supplied
Plans are afoot for the completion of the multi-million rand Bayside Canal upgrade in Milnerton, after work on site was temporarily suspended in November due to a contractual dispute with the contractor.
The City's Water and Sanitation Directorate this week said efforts are under way to resolve the matter and resume construction, as it works to reach a negotiated, amicable settlement of the dispute.
To date, approximately 55% of the project has been completed.
"It is important that public funds are used responsibly and for this reason, the negotiations are being dealt with as quickly and thoughtfully as possible," said Water and Sanitation mayco member, Zahid Badroodien.
"This is one of the City's crucial investments, which will contribute to improved water quality within Rietvlei and surrounds.
"Given ongoing development in the catchment, the upgrade is essential to accommodate increased stormwater flow during peak rainfall and to tackle the significant litter and pollution that enters Rietvlei via the stormwater system."
In the interim, the City has taken steps to mitigate flood risks in the area.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Following heavy rainfall on April 8, which led to flooding along Blaauwberg Road, the canal adjacent to the road and approximately 30 metres of the Bayside Canal were cleared to improve stormwater flow ahead of the winter season.
Additional works were also undertaken during the suspension period.
On April 24, the contractor removed the temporary berm and bypass trench, in line with contractual obligations, to assist with drainage.
The City conducted an inspection on April 27 where it was determined that the water level at the control weir was at about 2.1m and 0.9m in the Rietvlei.
A slight drop in water levels since April 8 suggests a blockage between the lower section of the proposed bypass canal and Rietvlei.
"To address this, the City will, through its repair and maintenance contractors survey the existing flow channel to determine current water levels and the location of the obstruction, deploy a long-boom excavator to clear the blockage and stockpile the excavated material adjacent to the channel. Once work starts again, the stormwater canal to the primary sedimentation ponds and the bypass canal from the secondary treatment channel to the Rietvlei will be constructed," the City said. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.
Cape Argus
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
2 minutes ago
- IOL News
Ramaphosa expresses hope for National Dialogue amid public discord
President Cyril Ramaphosa opening the National Dialogue's first national convention at the University of South Africa's main campus in Pretoria. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newpapers Despite disagreements displayed publicly at the start of the National Dialogue's first national convention, President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared hopeful that the gathering would achieve its objectives. Ramaphosa officially opened the convention at the University of South Africa's (Unisa's) main campus in Pretoria on Friday. At the start of proceedings, organisers, some of whom are members of the preparatory committee, remonstrated on the main stage shortly after Unisa vice-chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula delivered her welcoming address. Instead of Ramaphosa delivering the keynote speech, a panel discussion on challenges facing South Africans, such as joblessness and the importance of solid leadership, among others, was held. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ When he finally spoke, Ramaphosa said he undertook to lower the costs of the National Dialogue from R740 million. "We can have this dialogue much cheaper; much lower costs must be the order of the day," he said. Ramaphosa said as part of his intervention, South Africans would meet in homes, schools, lecture and community halls, churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, as well as boardrooms and on the shop-floor in villages, townships and cities, as well as under trees. He also thanked Unisa for hosting the national convention and providing its facilities and services free of charge. "We will be going around the country, we will desist from hiring halls, expensive halls in hotels. That is how we are going to bring the costs down," Ramaphosa promised. He said South Africans did not want too much money for the conversations of the National Dialogue. According to Ramaphosa, in previous similar events, there have been moments where others have chosen not to participate. Several legacy foundations representing former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe pulled out of the two-day gathering, along with political parties in the Government of National Unity, such as the DA and the Freedom Front Plus, also snubbed the event over fears that it would be a government-led process. ActionSA and the SA Federation of Trade Unions also announced they would not be part of the national convention. Ramaphosa said those standing outside would one day have no choice but to join the National Dialogue. "Let us be reminded that our disagreements are small compared to the magnitude of what we can achieve together," he said. The president added that nations are not solely defined by their difficulties but by how they respond to them. His assessment was that South Africans all agree that the country is not where it ought to be and that it is broken. Ramaphosa said when prominent figures and organisations were pulling out of the national convention and calls were growing for it to be postponed, he sought the Eminent Persons Group's (EPG's) counsel.
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
KZN elections for amakhosi and izinduna projected to cost R47 million in 2027
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) at the KZN Legislature portfolio committee on Tuesday. Image: KZN Legislature The elections for amakhosi and izinduna in KwaZulu-Natal could cost more than R47 million if they go ahead in 2027. This was revealed by the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) during a first-quarter report on 2025/26 financials to the KZN Legislature portfolio committee on Tuesday. The department receives an allocation of R187 million but still has to dip into its budget to cover the rest of the funding for approximately 300 amakhosi and izinduna in the province. Mthandeni Dlungwana, an ANC MPL, raised the question of whether izinduna and amakhosi have completed their five-year terms and when elections will be held. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Marlaine Nair, chairperson of the CoGTA committee, said they were told that the elections would go ahead in February 2025. Velenkosini Hlabisa, the minister of CoGTA, announced in May 2025 that the Constitutional Court ruled to extend the validity of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act (TKLA) for a further two years. Hlabisa explained that the Concourt has granted supplementary, just, and equitable relief to prevent the imminent expiry of the suspension period related to the declaration of constitutional invalidity of the TKLA. 'The declaration of invalidity of the TKLA has been suspended until 29 May 2027, allowing additional time for the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill to be concluded,' he said. This two-year extension enables CoGTA and Parliament to conduct thorough consultations and finalise the legislative process. Hlabisa has requested the Department of Traditional Affairs to intensify efforts to expedite the Bill's completion. He added that the TKLB is a critical piece of legislation. It seeks to formally recognise the Khoi and San communities and their leadership structures, while also addressing the deficiencies of the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act, No. 41 of 2003. Once enacted, the Bill will provide a legal framework to recognize and regulate Traditional and Khoi-San leadership institutions, clearly outlining their roles, responsibilities, and engagement with the government. This represents both a responsibility and an opportunity to promote inclusive governance. Dr Joey Krishnan, acting HOD of CoGTA, stated at the legislature that processes are under way in the department to prepare for the elections. 'The quotation we received two years ago was R47 million as a province just to run the elections. We are busy working on it. We could use the Electoral Commission of South Africa or an election agency. The department had engaged an election agency previously for this purpose, and then the court challenge came along,' she explained. On the recognition of izinduna, she explained that the amakhosi nominate izinduna and not CoGTA. Once an induna is nominated, it has to go through to the provincial executive council for approval and recognition. 'When that happens, it is gazetted. It is only at the time of gazetting that CoGTA will then put the izinduna on the payroll. We now have a system in place where amakhosi and izinduna are comfortable with the headcount,' she said. Krishnan said that the amahhosi provides CoGTA with a monthly update on izinduna. 'We are undertaking the current confirmation of all izinduna. We have completed eThekwini, Ugu, and Amajuba municipalities. We went to the Cabinet a week ago. We are now recognising 35 izinduna through that process. We hope to have that concluded in this financial quarter. We are going through per district to fast-track the process,' she explained.
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
National Dialogue: ANC talking to an empty room, but it must listen
What is the use of a National Dialogue when the nation isn't taken seriously by its leaders? You don't have to be an expert to know that a wounded animal, when cornered, will fight tooth and nail for its survival. Such a scene is playing out before our eyes with the ANC and its hijacking of the National Dialogue. The dialogue, packaged as a forum for citizens, activists, civil society, business, and political parties to discuss issues facing the country, kicks off today in Pretoria. A true family meeting is needed. Not the one-sided announcements fed to us by the president under the Covid-19 lockdown, but a proper, clear-the-air discussion to unite us behind a strategy to take the country forward. SA really is sitting on a watershed moment. A coalition government demands more political consensus and unified policy than has been needed since 1994. Black economic empowerment (BEE), the Expropriation Act, and SA's foreign policy are just three of many sticking points in the ruling government of national unity (GNU) that need to be discussed and a national stance adopted. We can no longer drink from a tin that says national unity but tastes and smells just like ANC policy. Social collapse Socially, we sit on a tsunami of crises that threaten to overwhelm communities and citizens. Whether it is powering streetlights or fixing potholes, businesses and citizen groups have had to step in where the government has failed. They deserve a place and a voice at the discussion table. Services that should be offered by the government to its citizens are now being privatised, leaving those who want them to pay for everything from water and electricity to schooling, security, waste collection, and medical care. This further divides the chasm between the haves and have-nots in the most unequal country in the world. Those who live on both ends of the chasm deserve to have a voice at the National Dialogue. They should speak about how the government's failure to provide sufficient basic services and jobs has led to a scarcity and frustration that has become a fertile ground for Operation Dudula to thrive. Whenever the vigilante group questions the nationality of those working at stores or in line at clinics, hospitals, and schools, they are adding to the hysteria that 'foreigners are stealing our jobs, rights, and privileges'. All citizens will talk about how we blindly deal with water shortages, power outages, corruption, racism, gender-based violence, and crime on a daily basis. SA is among the most crime-ridden countries in the world. Private security companies and police are on the front line each day, dealing with everything from potential terrorism threats and illegal mining to extortion, kidnapping and muggings in the CBD that 'nobody saw'. They should be heard at a national discussion. ALSO READ: A VIEW OF THE WEEK: When will the ground fall beneath us? National dialogue: another ANC rally? But none of these crucial players, whether meaningful political opposition to the ANC or John from down the road, will be there on Friday. Several political parties have pulled out, as have key foundations and civil society organisations. Their fears that this will be a costly talkshop for ANC cadres and their supporters to hijack may become a reality, with echo chambers of party policy passed as national consensus. The party should have learnt from losing power in a bruising 2024 election and realised it needs to be a fair player. Like an apologetic but insincere ex, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula loves to go on about how the party has learnt its lessons from its past failures and has listened to the people of SA. It is a lie parroted by his boss, President Cyril Ramaphosa, when addressing the national government's failures. But what lessons have they learnt, and who exactly have they been listening to? Government community imbizos are a powerful and progressive step, but complaints fall on deaf ears, and no changes are implemented when the blue-light brigades leave town. Both the ANC and the government that it controlled for 30 years need to understand the reality of the people they claim to serve, but refuse to hear it and would rather talk to an empty room. Perhaps if they stopped talking, stopped fighting, the silence of those who chose not to be part of their charade will tell them how they got there in the first place. NOW READ: A VIEW OF THE WEEK: Ramaphosa risks losing control of Cabinet
