For the City of Cape Town to review
The City of Cape Town has not yet seen this page. It describes the organisation only through what it and its partners have said in public. The Forum has not approached the City of Cape Town about anything. Until the City of Cape Town has approved the text, it may change. Questions for the City of Cape Town:
- Is this description of the City and its part in the water fund correct? What would you like to change?
- Does the City still fund clearing through the Greater Cape Town Water Fund, and in which catchments?
- Which office at the City deals with the Western Cape Water Supply System and catchment work, for readers who want to ask about it?
- Should readers reach you through the moderators, or through a public contact?
The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality for Cape Town [IC]. It is a separate municipality from Theewaterskloof, of which Ward 2 is a part [IC]. The City draws much of its water from the Western Cape Water Supply System, whose largest dam, Theewaterskloof, lies upstream of the valley on the Riviersonderend [IC]. In 2018 the City and The Nature Conservancy set up the Greater Cape Town Water Fund to clear invasive plants from the catchments that feed its dams [MS].
What the letters in square brackets mean
Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.
- [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by an official record, such as a stock exchange notice or a government publication, or by at least two sources that do not depend on each other.
- [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from the organisation’s own releases or website, or from the releases of its partners in the same programme. It has not been checked against sources that do not depend on them.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it in writing yet.
At a glance
| Kind | Government (metropolitan municipality) |
| Based in | Cape Town |
| Website | capetown.gov.za |
| Role | Founding partner and steering committee member, Greater Cape Town Water Fund [MS]. Not a party to the Cape Water bond [MS] |
| Link to the valley | Indirect. It draws water from the system whose largest dam lies upstream of the valley |
| Contact with the Forum | Not approached |
What it does
The City provides water and other municipal services to Cape Town [IC]. Its dam-level reports list six major dams in the Western Cape Water Supply System, which hold 898,221 megalitres when full [IC]. Theewaterskloof holds 480,188 megalitres of that, a little over half [IC]. The dam is owned by the national Department of Water and Sanitation, and its water reaches Cape Town through a tunnel to the Berg River side of the mountains [IC].
How its work reaches the valley
The water fund. The City and The Nature Conservancy set up the Greater Cape Town Water Fund in 2018 as a partnership between public bodies and private companies [MS]. The City sits on its steering committee [MS]. In 2021 the City committed R62 million over three years for clearing in the upper catchments of the Wemmershoek, Steenbras, and Berg River dams, matched rand for rand by The Nature Conservancy [MS]. None of these is the Theewaterskloof catchment.
The bond. The releases about the Cape Water Performance-Based Bond do not name the City as a party [MS]. The bond pays for clearing through the fund the City helped set up [MS].
The valley. Theewaterskloof Dam, on the Riviersonderend near Villiersdorp, is the largest dam in the Western Cape Water Supply System [IC]. The valley lies downstream of it, where the Gobos and Baviaans rivers join the Riviersonderend [IC]. Wild Restoration, which clears invasive plants in the Riviersonderend mountains above Greyton, has told the Forum that the Greater Cape Town Water Fund supports clearing in those mountains through a partnership with CapeNature [TBV]. Which slopes that covers, and whether they drain into the dam or into the valley’s own rivers, is not yet known.
Where it touches this site
- From Water Access to Water Agency, an idea not yet agreed, names the City as one possible buyer of water the valley could add to the river. The City has not been asked.
- Ridge to River to Table, an idea not yet agreed, explains how Theewaterskloof Dam sends water both to Cape Town and down the Riviersonderend.
- National Water Act, the law under which water from the dam is shared.
- The Municipality, the history of local government in the valley, which is Theewaterskloof’s and not the City’s.
What is still open
- Whether the City still funds clearing through the water fund, and in which catchments.
- Whether the City has any role in deciding how much water Theewaterskloof Dam releases down the Riviersonderend. No source has been found.
Have your say
If you know more about the City of Cape Town’s work in the valley’s mountains or rivers, contact the moderators via How to Submit.
Related
- Organisations Outside the Valley
- Conservation Alpha
- FirstRand Bank
- Rand Merchant Bank
- The Nature Conservancy South Africa
- Greater Cape Town Water Fund
References
- City of Cape Town. Dam levels (August 2026). The dams of the Western Cape Water Supply System and their capacities.
- City of Cape Town. City invests R62m to secure water by clearing invasive alien plants (1 April 2021). The water fund’s founding and the City’s R62 million.
- Greater Cape Town Water Fund. Fact sheet (September 2020). The steering committee.
- Wikipedia. Theewaterskloof Dam. Its river, its owner, and its place in the Western Cape Water Supply System.
- The Nature Conservancy. Cape Water Performance-based Bond launched (1 April 2026). The parties and their roles, the R150 million for clearing over five years, and the fund’s progress.
- Wild Restoration. Team and partners. Lists CapeNature among its partners. The link to the Greater Cape Town Water Fund was reported to the Forum in conversation and is not on this page.