The city of Cape Town is celebrating a significant step forward in the restoration efforts at Zeekoevlei, with dredging activities now transitioning from Storm Bay to Home Bay after almost a year of diligent work. This initiative represents the first dredging operation in Zeekoevlei in over four decades, aiming to revitalize the area’s environmental quality.
Initiated in June 2025, the ongoing project has successfully extracted over 207,000 cubic meters of sediment from Storm Bay. The forthcoming phase will concentrate on Home Bay, targeting the removal of an additional 157,000 cubic meters of sediment over the next ten months. This effort is a vital component of a broader environmental restoration objective designed to enhance water quality and revitalize the vlei’s ecosystem by purging decades of accumulated sediment and surplus nutrients that have led to its deterioration.
Eddie Andrews, a city official, highlighted that the dredging project is an integral part of Cape Town’s long-term strategy to rehabilitate and safeguard its essential water bodies and natural ecosystems. The complex undertaking of relocating dredging equipment involved installing an extra two kilometers of pipeline and maneuvering heavy mooring blocks across the water, underscoring the logistical challenges faced during the operation.
The sediment extracted from the vlei is transported via a 6.3-kilometer slurry pipeline to designated dewatering ponds, where it undergoes a drying and storage process. The City of Cape Town has committed to closely monitoring the project’s progress through regular hydrographic surveys, ensuring that the comprehensive restoration endeavor remains on track for completion by early 2027.