SAVE ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING – SUNDAY 14TH JULY
AT 11:00
AT THE LUCIANA LAPA.
AGENDA TO FOLLOW
Be there to get updates on:
- Water lettuce crisis (the symptom)
- Civil action against Government
- Financials
- Other issues affecting river property owners.
CONTACT US TO BOOK YOUR
4-BALL FOR OUR GREAT GOLF
DAY.
SPONSOR A HOLE OR DONATE
PRIZES
NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Nico Siebrits, Brandon Stuart, Bianca
Hurlingham and Shaun Faccio have
volunteered their expertise by joining the
SAVE committee.
Nico, an experienced CA, has taken over the
role of Treasurer and will be updating policies
and procedures to ensure that we are in line
with modern business practices,
Brandon Stuart is a well-known river
personality with great contacts and an indepth knowledge of the Vaal River.
Bianca Hurlingham operates a business on
the river and has agreed to assume
responsibility for administration and
communication.
Shaun Faccio is well known on the river and is
owner of River Buoys boat shop and has a
strong input in the community.
We see our new committee members as
valuable assets and welcome their fresh
thinking.
OMNIA SUPPORTS SAVE THE VAAL
EFFORTS
As part of a co-ordinated effort to remove
water lettuce and water hyacinth from the
Taaibosspruit, a tributary of the Vaal River,
where water lettuce has taken a firm grip to
the detriment of aquatic life and tourism,
Omnia came to our assistance.
The funds will be used to mechanically
remove water lettuce and hyacinth from the
Taaibosspruit. Work is in progress.
General Manager (Manufacturing) SSB, Hein
Botes said “We believe that by allocating
these funds, together we can make a
meaningful social and economic impact on the
communities that are supported by the Vaal
River system”. Botes noted that Omnia is
firmly committed to supporting the local
community in finding a long term and
sustainable solution to resolving the invasive
water plant species issue.
SAVE expressed deep appreciation to Omnia
for their support and to Rosemary Anderson
for her personal efforts and hard work in
facilitating and providing information to
Omnia.
We trust that other corporates and businesses
will follow the fine example set by Omnia. A
clean Vaal River provides a multitude of
benefits to the Vaal economy.
To date, efforts to remove these weeds from
the Vaal Barrage Reservoir have been funded
by the Vaal River community. Numerous river
property owners have spent months on the
river, abstracting these aquatic weeds through
various methods including heavy earth
moving equipment, conveyers, and physical
removal from boats. These efforts have been
successful and have yielded good results.
THE WATER CRISIS IS NOT OVER
Seeds are lying dormant on the riverbed,
waiting to flourish in the high nutrient levels of
the water as soon as the summer arrives. It is
likely that the water hyacinth will get stronger
and stronger, defeating the water lettuce.
WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF ALL RIVER
PROPERTY OWNERS TO RID THE VAAL
RIVER OF THESE ALEIN WEEDS.
THE PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED BY
AUTHORITIES HALTING THE FLOW OF
NON-COMPLIANT WASTEWATER INTO
THE VAAL RIVER.
This is SAVE’s priority, and your support is
also needed for litigation.
3
The exponential growth of the aquatic weeds
has been due to the uncontrolled and non-compliant discharges from municipal
wastewater systems into the Vaal River
Barrage Reservoir, either directly or via
tributaries such as the Rietspruit and Klip
Rivers that flow into the Vaal River.
RAND WATER APPLICATION
FOR NEW WATER USE LICENCE
FOR BARRAGE HYDRO
ELECTRIC SCHEME
SAVE the VAAL and the River Property and
Safety Association have registered as
“Interested and Affected Parties” to be
included in the consultation process.
This is an issue that should be of interest to all
river property owners, and we urge you to
submit your own IAP application to:
mailto:Wula@sasenvgroup.co.za
Water Lettuce Project funds update:
Long term funding from corporate donors that
will be used in the fight of the lettuce and
Hyacinth once it rears its head up in the new
season for spraying etc. of which R 1775061
used for chemical spraying, drones, clearing
the pump house area of the mass matt, the
rehabilitation of plot 19 Marlbank still needs to
take place.
The barrage extraction funds raised R 62800.
CCP extraction funds raised R 413375 and
extraction expenses R 183000.
Barrage to 5K funds raised R145000
Marlbank funds raised R475000 extraction
expenses R 239500
Genaral donations R 166425 extraction
expenses R 66876
On the CCP, 5K they are still progress and
further expenses will still be occurred
UPDATE ON WEEVIL BREEDING
In recent months, four community biocontrol
agent rearing stations have been set up along
the spruits and Main River for water hyacinth
and water lettuce control. At Marlbank by
Mader, Zel at Korhaan, Shirley at Loch Vaal,
and Michael at Maxwell Farm. These stations
comprise greenhouse tunnels in which the
plants are grown in small water pools/tubs.
With winter upon us, the primary goal is to
maintain the agent populations and their food
sources (the plants) within the greenhouses.
Come spring, when the plants start to regrow
and germinate, populations of the agent from
the stations will be released. These releases
will persist throughout the warmer months.
With thanks to Michael Aitken for this update.
Lettuce extraction in progress:
A big thank you to all the community that have
taken part in making the extraction of the
water lettuce possible a great job has been
done by Johann , Ian, Mark, Chase at all the
extraction points.
They have managed to clear about 70 % of
the lettuce from the river from Duck Point to
the barrage with only to big mats still needing
to be removed the one at the 5 K project and
the other above duck point towards
Stonehaven
Thank you to Brent who was involved in the
spraying process which was well controlled
and executed with the necessary Authorities
in line with the GA
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
A million thanks to our donors and supporters who have kept faith in us.
The road is far from at an end, so we need your continued support for our main account:
Donations are tax deductible per Section 18A of the Income Tax Act.
Banking Details: General donations
Save the Vaal Environment (general donations legal etc.)
Standard Bank
Account number: 281 049 521
Branch Code: 018105
Please use your cell number as a reference
Save the Vaal Environment (Water lettuce)
Standard Bank
Account number: 10219449455
Branch code: 000205
Reference: Name and property Number
