Grant-funded partnership removes tonnes of waste from the Big Lotus River
03 July 2026
More than three tonnes of waste has already been removed from sections of the Big Lotus River through a partnership between the City of Cape Town's Water and Sanitation Directorate, the Zeekoe Catchment Management Forum (ZK-CMF) and The Litterboom Project. The initiative is improving the health of the river while encouraging residents to become active custodians of their local environment.
The ZK-CMF is one of four catchment management forums (CMFs) that received grant funding from the City's Water and Sanitation Directorate to support water pollution reduction and strengthen community participation in protecting rivers and urban waterways.
The City's Water and Sanitation Directorate has invested more than R600 000 in these CMFs, with the ZK-CMF's activities including:
The Big and Little Lotus rivers, which feed into Zeekoevlei
The Southfield Canal, which drains into Princess Vlei
Rondevlei and seasonal wetlands like Bamboesvlei, near Ottery
The Edith Stephens Wetlands
Wetlands in the Philippi Horticultural Area.
In partnership with The Litterboom Project, the ZK-CMF has implemented a targeted solid waste reduction programme along the Big Lotus River between Duinefontein Road and Jakes Gerwel Drive. The project included:
Five targeted clean-ups in hot-spot areas, where waste had built up.
Two community clean-ups in Manenberg and Sherwood Park.
Daily removal of solid waste from the Big Lotus River by the project's two full-time employees.
The community clean-up in Manenberg in April removed 2,15 tonnes of waste, while a further 870kg was collected during the Sherwood Park clean-up in May.
The events have also strengthened community relations in caring for the river and has attracted new members to the ZK-CMF.
‘Partnerships such as this are critical to building a more resilient and sustainable Cape Town. We know that protecting our rivers and waterways cannot be achieved by government alone. By investing in catchment management forums and supporting community-led initiatives, we are strengthening local stewardship, creating opportunities for residents to become active participants in environmental protection and helping to safeguard the health of our water systems for future generations.
'These partnerships deliver real benefits to communities by improving local environments, reducing pollution and contributing to healthier, more liveable neighbourhoods across our city,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
‘Grant funding by the City has allowed us to make a visible difference in these reaches of the Big Lotus River over the past few months. We do, however, need long-term sustainable funding to make a permanent difference here, both to improve living conditions in this upper part of the catchment and protect ecosystems such as the Zeekoevlei Wetland downstream,’ said Dr Liz Day, chairperson of the ZK-CMF.
Join the ZK-CMF’s next meeting
The ZK-CMF meets approximately every two months, alternating between in-person and online meetings. The next meeting will take place on Saturday, 15 August 2026, at 09:00 at the Rondevlei Lecture Hall, False Bay Nature Reserve.
Caption 1: Community members and ZK-CMF volunteers remove waste from the Big Lotus River during the clean-up on 16 May 2026.
Caption 2: The City's Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, lends a hand with Dr Liz Day, Chairperson of the ZK-CMF.
Caption 3: Community volunteers participate in the Big Lotus River clean-up in Sherwood Park on 16 May 2026.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
