The City of Cape Town will issue a new tender for a weed harvester for Zandvlei on Friday, 27 May 2022. Read more below:

Unfortunately, the current tender had to be cancelled as the service provider indicated they cannot deliver the new machine by 30 June 2022 as per their contract with the City.

A weed harvester is a highly specialised machine that operates like a boat on water with blades underneath to cut weed. In Zandvlei, in particular, a weed harvester is used to cut pondweed and also to remove algae in the marina.

• Fortunately, the season for pond weed only peaks in October and there is currently very little, if any, pondweed in Zandvlei. However, the City will keep on monitoring the vlei for weed.

• The City is committed to keep on maintaining the old weed harvester which can be used until the end of November 2022 based on the current Maritime Safety Authority SA (SAMSA) exemption.

• In addition, the City will ensure that the expanded public works programme teams also assist by removing weeds by hand as from August 2022 to mitigate the impact of weed on the vlei.

The tender for a new service provider will be advertised on Friday, 27 May 2022.

It is impossible to say when the new weed harvester will arrive. Supply chain management processes are unpredictable, and a lot depends on the ability of the private sector bidders to meet the tender specifications, which in this case are complex given the specialised machinery needed.

The City intends to acquire three new weed harvesters over the next two years, pending local manufacturers’ ability to build this complex machinery.

The City has prioritised the urgency of this matter.

Source: City Of Cape Town