Natasha Odendaal
Natasha Odendaal is Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.
Vaal dam water levels edge up
14th August 2025 The water storage levels of the Vaal dam increased week-on-week from 106.3% last week to 107.3% this week. The dam, a vital component of the... →
Cabinet green-lights water Bills
8th August 2025 South Africa’s Cabinet has approved the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS’s) Water Services Amendment Bill and National Water Amendment... →
Water storage levels hold steady, DWS to maintain Vaal dam above capacity
7th August 2025 The water storage levels of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) is currently at a healthy 101%, reflecting only a slight dip from the previous... →
Constitutional Court upholds Vodacom appeal in Please Call Me matter
31st July 2025 South Africa’s Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld an appeal by telecommunications group Vodacom against a 2024 Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA)... →
Rand Water talks medium-term infrastructure plans, notes maintenance disruption frustrations
29th July 2025 Water utility Rand Water’s extensive months-long maintenance from May to July was a necessary disruption to increase capacity and resilience, while... →
Rand Water supply free of ARV traces
18th July 2025 Water utility Rand Water on Friday assured that no ARV traces are in the water it supplies. The bulk water services provider, which has been... →
DWS assures ARV traces in water harmless
18th July 2025 Following a study that has found traces of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) in water samples taken from rivers and potable water sources, the Department of... →
City of Tshwane welcomes court ruling setting aside 2019 Rooiwal tender
27th June 2025 The City of Tshwane on Friday welcomed the North Gauteng High Court’s judgment declaring invalid the city’s 2019 decision to award a tender for the... →
Human rights body sets outs legal remedies to tackle water mafia plague
25th June 2025 The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has published a comprehensive policy brief highlighting the various legislative and policy... →
Rand Water progresses extensive maintenance plan
24th June 2025 Rand Water is moving on to the final stretch of it months-long critical maintenance programme from June 30 until July 18. The water utility started... →
DCDT issues ICT equity equivalent investment programmes draft policy for comment
23rd May 2025 The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) on Friday gazetted a draft policy direction on the role of equity equivalent... →
Rand Water embarks on extensive planned maintenance
23rd May 2025 Rand Water is preparing to kick off an extensive planned maintenance programme from May to July, impacting various municipalities throughout... →
City of Cape Town calls for public comment on proposed wastewater treatment facilities operator appointments
19th May 2025 The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has invited comment on a proposal to appoint external service providers for the operation... →
South African households recover slightly after rates cuts
6th May 2025 The latest Altron FinTech Household Resilience Index (AFHRI) has improved, for the third consecutive quarter, following a series of repo rate cuts... →
DWS closes two more Vaal dam sluice gates, four to remain open
2nd May 2025 After closing two sluice gates at the Vaal dam on Thursday, another two will be closed on Friday. This will leave four sluice gates open as the... →
Two sluice gates at Vaal to be closed as water levels start to slowly decline
30th April 2025 Two sluice gates at the Vaal dam are set to be closed on Wednesday as the water inflows start to decline. The Vaal dam water level has decreased... →
Vaal, Bloemhof dams start to show some stability – DWS
29th April 2025 Ten sluice gates at the Vaal dam remain open on Tuesday, with outflows of 1 771 cubic metres a second (m³/s), while water releases at Bloemhof dam... →
Four more sluice gates opened at Vaal
25th April 2025 Rapidly rising inflows into the Vaal dam have necessitated the opening of four more sluice gates on Friday. This will bring the total number of... →
Two Vaal sluice gates closed, Bloemhof outflows reduced
15th April 2025 As water levels at the Vaal and Bloemhof dams start to reduce, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has started reducing outflows at both... →
Vaal’s water levels continue to rise, five sluice gates to remain open
7th April 2025 As the water levels of the Vaal dam continue to rise, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will keep all the five sluice gates open, with... →
Third sluice gate opened at Vaal
1st April 2025 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) on Tuesday opened a third sluice gate at the Vaal dam to increase water outflows and manage inflows.... →
Water Indaba delivers resolutions to resolve water challenges
31st March 2025 Following the Water and Sanitation Indaba held last week, clear resolutions have emerged to reverse the significant decline seen in South Africa’s... →
New path charted for water sector, says Ramaphosa
31st March 2025 A new course will be charted for South Africa’s water sector following the landmark Water and Sanitation Indaba held last week, President Cyril... →
Performance in water sector needs to be stepped up, urges Ramaphosa
27th March 2025 South Africa’s embattled water sector is the number one priority for government, and implementation will be critical in turning the dire situation... →
Six valves opened at Vaal to increase outflow
24th March 2025 Six valves have been opened at Vaal dam, while the water outflow has been further increased at the Bloemhof dam on Monday. The Department of Water... →
DWS increases Bloemhof outflow as water releases from Vaal continue
24th March 2025 The water outflows at the Bloemhof dam have been increased to 350.97 cubic metres a second (mᵌ/s) to allow for the extra flows that are expected... →
DWS opens sluice gate as Vaal dam levels rise
20th March 2025 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) on Thursday opened one sluice gate to increase water releases from the Vaal dam, the levels of which... →
Cogta committee calls for sustainable solutions for municipalities’ water challenges
19th March 2025 As water utility Rand Water outlined the challenges it faces, including the debt owed to it, the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and... →
Pollution threatens to overwhelm the country’s water supply systems
14th March 2025 As many regions across South Africa, including the City of Johannesburg and eThekwini, continue to grapple with significant water supply challenges... →
Joburg Water disconnects customers owing over R2.7m
11th March 2025 Following the start of a Level 1 Disconnections Drive on Monday, Johannesburg Water has disconnected 15 customers that collectively owe the utility... →
Vaal dam reaches full capacity, DWS slows outflow
11th March 2025 As the water levels of the Vaal dam reach 101.51%, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has reduced the outflow of water from 61.2 cubic... →
Water consumption in Gauteng decreases
10th March 2025 The Gauteng Water Security Dashboard shows that overall water consumption across Gauteng has decreased, however, the levels remain above the water... →
Vaal dam water levels near 100%
6th March 2025 The water level of the Vaal dam has reached 98.99%, with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), in line with its flood management plan,... →
IVRS water storage levels rise, along with consumption
3rd March 2025 The Integrated Vaal River System’s combined surface water storage has reached 92.5%, above average for this time of year. This is an improvement on... →
Gauteng metro water consumption declines, but remains above target
24th February 2025 The water consumption across Gauteng’s metropolitans have declined week-on-week; however, the volumes remain above the required water-use... →
South Africa’s dam levels rise as above normal rainfall persists
21st February 2025 South Africa’s overall dam levels have increased week-on-week from 80.6% to 81.2% as above-normal rainfall persists. The Department of Water and... →
Rand Water warns of ‘extremely’ high water demand, reservoirs depleting rapidly
13th February 2025 Water utility Rand Water has warned that ‘extremely’ high water consumption has exacerbated the rapid depletion of its water storage systems. This... →
Rand Water to embark on 24-hour maintenance on Germiston pipeline
20th January 2025 Rand Water is preparing for planned maintenance work to repair a leak that was detected on the O2 pipeline beneath Nasmith Road in Germiston, in... →
South Africa can play a significant role in global technology, sustainability
16th January 2025 The 2025 World Economic Forum, set to be held in Davos from January 20 to 24, provides an unparalleled platform for South Africa to assert itself... →
Rainfall boosts South Africa’s, Vaal dam’s water storage levels
15th January 2025 Recent rainfall has boosted the water levels of the Vaal dam significantly, with plans to fill the dam with water from Sterkfontein dam no longer... →
Rand Water prepares for more maintenance
11th December 2024 Rand Water is preparing to embark on its next planned water infrastructure maintenance project this week. On Friday, the utility will start repairs... →
