Cape Town: Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay get benefitted from the grant funding extended by the City of Cape Town. Member of the Mayoral Committee for Water and Sanitation – Councillor Zahid Badroodien met with the Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay at the Kadotstroom on Tuesday, July 01, 2025.
Kadotstroom is a community-based organization which is driving clean-ups, conversation and research to improve the quality of the waterways in the area.
Reportedly, the Water and Sanitation Directorate provided grant funding to the Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay and 10 other community-based organizations in May 2025, to create partnerships and to collectively enhance water and sanitation services across the city.
Chairperson of the Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay – Jackie Whales said that the grant funding which the Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay received from the City of Cape Town has made a material difference to the impact that they are able to make on the Hout Bay catchment.
Whales added that they have almost doubled the conservation work and also significantly increased the amount of litter they collected. Besides from the expert study they can commission due to the funding.
Considering this, Councillor Zahid Badroodien said that the aim of the directorate’s grant funding is to support local initiatives that encourage residents to play an active role in safeguarding water and sanitation community assets in their areas. These partnerships are intended to deliver measurable, sustainable results over the coming months.
As part of their project plan, the Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay will be undertaking the following key activities:
- Litter Collection and Removal:
The team will expand its current waste collection efforts along the rivers, wetlands and nearby beaches from two to three days per week. The goal is to increase the amount of litter collected each month from 1400kg to 2000kg.
- Conservation Work:
The organization will increase its conservation team from two to five staff members, plus a supervisor, operating across the entire week. This team will focus on clearing invasive plant species, stabilizing riverbanks, and planting vegetation in selected areas along the Hout Bay River, Kadotstroom and the Hout Bay wetlands. One of the sites will also undergo planting to support long-term river rehabilitation.
- Academic Research and Ecological Assessment:
A detailed field study of the middle reaches of the Hout Bay River from Victoria Bridge to the Longkloof weir, conducted by renowned river rehabilitation expert, Dr. Patricia Holmes. The findings will inform future restoration efforts and contribute to the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the river.
Further, Chairperson Jakkie Whales said, “Thanks to the City of Cape Town’s grant funding, we’ve been able to take our work to the next level. We’ve nearly doubled our conservation efforts, expanded litter collection and, for the first time, are able to commission expert ecological research to guide the long-term rehabilitation of our rivers.”
As per Whales, this support empowers the community to make a real, lasting difference to the health of Hout Bay’s waterways.