Fast-growing invasive Poplar trees removed in Elsieskraal River
09 December 2024
The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is clearing invasive poplar trees, some as tall as five metres, from Loevenstein Park in the Bellville section of the Elsieskraal River. The maintenance project began in mid-November and is scheduled for completion by end of January 2025.
The scope of work entails removal of invasive species that have proliferated along a section of the Elsieskraal River, situated at Tafelsig canyon between Jip De Jager and north of the N1.
A phased approach was taken to implement the Maintenance Action Plan. Phase 1 provided for maintenance between Jip De jager and Uys Krige with work completed from 6 November 2023 to 26 January 2024.
‘Since 2023, several maintenance activities have been conducted by the City to improve conditions in the Elsieskraal River. This includes upgrading a spillway channel for the Kreupelboom Dam; routine maintenance of dam gates, valves and levees to maintain their operational efficiency in the event of floods; erosion protection through an embankment and restoration of roads within the reserve area at Vodacom Golf Village along the Elsieskraal River,’ said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
The next phase of the maintenance plan, which is currently under way, includes removal of the invasive Poplar trees from Loevenstein Park. This intervention is essential to facilitate studies and designs aimed at rehabilitating the riverbank in the future.
Due to the complexity of the project, specialised expertise is required for effective treatment of the felled poplar trees. The total estimated project cost for the current phase amounts to R1,2 million.
‘The current phase of maintenance is part of the Water and Sanitation’s proactive measures aimed at improving inland water quality, as a mayoral priority. It has significant environmental benefits and has also resulted in 50 job opportunities being created for local workers for the duration of the project,' said Councillor Badroodien.
The benefit of this much-needed work includes:
• Improved river flow: Reduces flood risks
• Biodiversity restoration: Enhances habitats for local flora and fauna
• Recreational access: Improves aesthetics making it attractive for the public to enjoy
• Economic growth: Creates jobs and stimulates the local economy
• Infrastructure protection: Safeguards adjacent properties and public assets
About Elsieskraal River
The Elsieskraal River originates in the Tygerberg Hills and the agricultural lands north of Durbanville. Flowing southwest, it joins the Vygekraal River near the former Athlone Power Station site, south of Pinelands.
Along its route, the river passes through various landmarks and infrastructure:
• Several stormwater management dams are located on the river and its tributaries in the upper reach. These include Amandel, Fynbos, Reservaat, Upper Golf Course and Kommissaris dams on the tributaries and Doordekraal Dam located on the main-stem river. Below Doordekraal, the river flows through the Tyger Valley Waterfront and then adjacent to the quarry, opposite Carl Cronje Road. The quarry is connected to the Elsieskraal River through a short, flood-bypass channel.
• The river then flows in an unlined channel to the N1 and passes under the road through a concrete culvert into Jack Muller Park. At the downstream end of the park, the river drops into a covered culvert and exits again in Bellville, where it flows in an unlined channel through public open spaces, greenbelts and the City’s Tielman Marias and Elizabeth Parks.
• Finally it crosses the Tiennie Meyer Bypass and railway line in another culvert into the last unlined section, which extends for a distance of about 1km to the M16 (Francie Van Zijl Drive). Much of the last unlined section is located within the property of Stellenbosch University. Thereafter it enters a canal and in some places a covered culvert system, for another 12km until its confluence with the Vygekraal River at Athlone.
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
