TROUBLED WATERS: ‘Environmental tragedy’ — mismanagement blamed for decline of Gqeberha’s North End Lake

An environmentalist has accused the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) of mismanaging North End Lake in Gqeberha, describing its deteriorating condition as an “environmental tragedy”.

Nelson Mandela Bay environmentalist Arnold Slabbert said the damaged gabions (wire mesh cages filled with stones) and the need for a major clean-up reflected a failure to properly maintain a water body that once attracted families, recreational anglers and people who relied on fishing for food.

“The people that are supposed to be managing the lake are mismanaging it,” said Slabbert.

The gabions were designed to trap plastic waste before it entered the lake. Slabbert said the system had previously worked well and was intended to be supplemented by charcoal bags to filter the water further. “It worked perfectly before,” he said.

Lack of maintenance

The MBDA has acknowledged that the gabions require attention. Its previous maintenance contract, awarded in May 2023 at an annual cost of R787,000, expired on 19 April 2026.

No replacement contract is currently in place. Asked why the process to appoint a new contractor had not been initiated before the contract expired, MBDA marketing and communications manager Nicole Klokow said, “The MBDA is working to correct and move this forward now.”

According to the agency, the most recent maintenance was carried out in December 2025, following a major clean-up in November that year.

The MBDA has not provided a timeline for the appointment of a new contractor or the repair of the damaged structures.

‘People lived off the fish’

Slabbert said the lake had once been a popular destination for water sports and family outings, while nearby communities relied on its fish as a source of food.

“There is an amazing fishery resource here. Tilapia, all that kind of stuff. And people actually lived off the fish,” he said.

He recalled how people from nearby, poorer neighbourhoods would visit the lake over weekends to fish and take their catch home.

“There are a lot of poor suburbs very close by. Where did those people go? On the weekends they would come down here and sit and fish and catch carp or tilapia or whatever. And they would take them home and eat them,” he said. “There was a thriving community of fishermen that lived around here.”

Slabbert attributed the decline to “pure mismanagement” and called on the MBDA to urgently restore the gabion system and arrange a major clean-up.

“Look at how we’re abusing this beautiful, massive lake of water. We’re totally abusing it. It’s an absolute environmental tragedy,” he said.

Brendan Kelly, a member of the Eastern Province Powerboat Club, said the lake had hosted many powerboat races.

While lamenting the lake’s deterioration, Kelly said competitions were no longer held there because of other factors, including the state of the economy, rather than the condition of the lake itself.

“There haven’t been any competitions for a while, but that’s certainly not to do with the quality of the water,” he said.

“However, the water conditions at the moment are not great. As you are probably well aware, the natural filter beds that were installed in the lake have not been maintained. They are falling apart and are full of rubbish.

“Stadium management used to do a hell of a lot of cleaning. They had a team that would clean the perimeter of the lake, picking up litter. I just haven’t seen them being active lately.

“We certainly don’t see the teams clearing the area around the lake as we used to,” he said.

MBDA plans repairs

The MBDA’s Klokow said the gabions played an important role in preventing litter and other waste from entering the lake, helping to maintain water quality and keep the stadium precinct clean.

The agency said it was working towards allocating resources to repair the damaged structures and install about 25 bins along the 1km stretch of stadium fencing bordering the lake.

The proposed work is subject to the necessary approvals and the availability of resources.

Klokow said MBDA also intended to appoint a new maintenance contractor to ensure the gabions could fulfil their intended function and that their upkeep was properly managed.

The agency pointed to competing maintenance needs across Nelson Mandela Bay, saying the municipality had made R17-million available for infrastructure maintenance across the metro.

It said priorities were assessed against operational requirements, risks, legal compliance considerations and available resources. DM