Stakeholders expressed dismay that despite alerting the City of Cape Town to a major source of pollution in the vlei more than a year ago, the City had not been forthcoming in addressing the problem. Now the situation has escalated with the vlei closed to all recreational activity since 12 December 2024 due to an algal bloom.

If you are looking for a nature reserve to visit in Cape Town this holiday season, you might want to reconsider False Bay Nature Reserve -- or at least the Zeekoevlei section after it was closed to all recreational use due to a blue-green algal bloom with high concentrations of microcystin toxins.

Stakeholders expressed dismay that despite alerting the City of Cape Town to a major source of pollution in the vlei over a year ago, the City had not been forthcoming in addressing the pollution in the vlei. This is in addition to alleged National Environmental Management Act (Nema) transgressions by City contractors/officials and service requests that were allegedly closed without action taken.

Now the situation has escalated with the vlei closed to all recreational activity since 12 December 2024 due to the algal bloom. The vlei has already suffered from decades of human misuse and nutrient enrichment.

Along with reports of sewage incidents at the northeast Rietvlei section of the Table Bay Nature Reserve between 2019 and 2024, the matter has raised concerns about the lack of accountability by the City when dealing with pollution incidents...