• The Gamtoos Irrigation Board will now be called the Gamtoos Water User’s Association.
• The Gamtoos Water User’s Association will now welcome two new catchment areas, the Baviaans and Kabeljous.
• The CEO of the Water User’s Association (WUA), Rienette Colesky, said that the WUA aims to bring water management to the local people in the community. 

After submitting a proposal to transform the Gamtoos Irrigation Board into a Water Users’ Association (WUA) to the Department of Water and Sanitation in May this year, the proposal has finally been approved – which has allowed the association to welcome two additional catchment areas, the Baviaans and Kabeljous.

As part of the promulgation, the Gamtoos Irrigation Board will also now be called the Gamtoos Water Users’ Association.

As previously reported by Kouga Express, Rienette Colesky, CEO of Gamtoos Irrigation Board, said as part of their business model established in 1991, they are an Irrigation Board according to the Water Act 54 of 1956.

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Since the business model of the irrigation board is more stringent, she said that many years ago they began the process of transforming the board into a WUA, but this was halted in 2013. Fortunately, in 2021, Colesky said that they began the transformation process again, and on May 26 this year finally submitted their proposal to transform the board to a WUA to the Department of Water and Sanitation.

As an Irrigation Board she said that they were responsible for the management of water at the Gamtoos catchment; however, with the board being promulgated to a WUA on October 6, the Baviaans and Kabeljous catchments will join their water management services.

Before the Baviaans and Kabeljous catchments joined their management services, Colesky said that they had to negotiate with the water users of the two catchment areas to explain in detail the benefits of joining their association.

Colesky said, 

As the WUA she said that they will play a facilitating role among all stakeholders, which include farmers, emerging farmers, citrus and cash crop pack-houses, the Department of Correctional Services, Department of Water and Sanitation, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, and the Department of Environmental Affairs.

In addition, they will manage rivers, boreholes, and dams. Furthermore, they will continue to manage every drop of water going to the municipality, farmers, and emerging farmers.

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They will also facilitate licensing, among other issues, to ensure that their members have the correct licence to transfer water.

“The aim of the WUA is to bring the management of water to the local people in the community,” said Colesky. “This is what we aspire to do, and this is also why we have enlarged our footprint.”

The boundaries of the WUA now include sub-areas, Baviaanskloof, Patensie, Hankey, Kabeljous and Loerie.