Residents and business owners in Bloemhof and along the Vaal Dam are grappling with unprecedented challenges following weeks of relentless flooding that has submerged homes, destroyed infrastructure, and displaced entire communities.
The situation has sparked frustration and calls for more proactive measures from authorities as families face overwhelming financial and emotional losses.
After two surge floods in April, triggered by the opening of the Vaal Dam sluice gates, the flooding crisis has resulted in severe losses particularly for families downstream. Many houses are now completely engulfed in water, while others have been swept away entirely, crops killed, and communities displaced, leading to a palpable sense of devastation and frustration among those affected.
Azhar Vadi, director of the Salaam Foundation, spoke with Saturday Star regarding the challenges facing residents also highlighting the dire situation for those reliant on properties that serve as fishing resorts and shops.
One tragic account shared by Vadi recounts the plight of a property owner whose fishing resort and tackle shop revealing, “This is the current situation at one of the properties on the southern Vaal Dam today. This homes was completely flooded out when the water reached the 120% mark. The property owner runs a fishing resort and fishing tackle shop. In a single night when the dam level rose dramatically, his entire shop that you can see in the water at present was washed away. All his rock was ruined as well as his fridges and electrical equipment etc.”
“Many have never witnessed floods this high before,” he said, highlighting the dire situation for those reliant on properties that serve as fishing resorts and shops.
Vadi reveals that the foundation has been working tirelessly to assist community members affected downstream from the Bloemhof Dam and have also been called to assist along the southern Vaal Dam in the Free State.
“At least 30 families were left distraught and Salaam Foundation provided food parcels to cater for their immediate needs. We also realised that pets belonging to families were without food and we therefore supplied them pet food, catering for dogs, cats and birds. Along the southern Vaal Dam in the Free State we have also been called out to assist a resident whose entire home and business was flooded. They have lost almost everything and called out for assistance. The speed at which the water rose during the peak of the flood left them no time to evacuate. It literally happened over a single night. When they woke up in the morning everything was under water,” he said.
Local resident Roni Visser, a flood victim, shared her devastating story, expressing her frustrations over what she deems poor management of the floods.
“Absolute frustration and devastation. That control is not being taken. The sluices must be managed better. The answers we are getting is just natural disaster and that we are being pro-active but that is not evidence. Having two floods now directly two three weeks apart is just a sign. Why would you when there is more water and rain coming let the water down all the way and then suddenly its one day warning, you must be out again?. So we really feel it is not natural disaster, it is man-made error they are no controlling it the way they should.”
In response to the ongoing crisis, the Department of Water and Sanitation recently increased water outflows at Bloemhof Dam. The rate was escalated from 500 m³/s to 650 m³/s at 10 AM and further raised to 800 m³/s by noon. Officials stated these adjustments were essential to manage the rising inflows upstream and to ensure the safe operation of the dam, which had reached a startling 106.71% capacity.
The department warned residents living within the floodline to remain vigilant as further rainfall is anticipated in the Upper Vaal Catchment. They confirmed that the water levels in the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) are being monitored to implement necessary precautions in line with dam safety standards and to mitigate any flooding risks.
The department also noted, “Sluice gates are opened for controlled water releases when dams reach full capacity to prevent catastrophic failures, which can lead to dam bursts and unimaginable disasters.”
In an attempt to address the mounting crisis, North West's MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs, Oageng Molapisi, announced that R50 million has been earmarked for repairing damaged infrastructure. Nevertheless, local leaders express that this funding falls woefully short of what is needed to recover fully from such extensive devastation.
Saturday Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za