Residents living near riverbanks along Vaal Dam evacuated as water levels continue to rise
On Wednesday, the Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, visited the Vaal Dam to assess the water resource infrastructure amid heavy inflows into the dam due to heavy rainfall.
The Department of Water and Sanitation opened a sluice gate at the Vaal Dam on 6 April 2025 after water levels surged due to persistent rain. Picture: @DWS_RSA/X
JOHANNESBURG - Residents living near riverbanks along the Vaal Dam have been evacuated as the dam's waters continue to rise.
On Wednesday, the Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, visited the Vaal Dam to assess the water resource infrastructure amid heavy inflows into the dam due to heavy rainfall.
Recently, torrential rains forced the department to implement necessary dam safety precautions and controlled water releases by opening sluice gates.
The dam reached its limit of more than 100% in water storage levels over the weekend.
[WATCH] Vaal residents taking no chance after evacuation order
The opening of five sluice gates resulted in an overflow of water. Moreover, homes along the swollen banks of the Vaal River were flooded.
Majodina says evacuations are necessary to prevent loss of life and further damage to infrastructure.
“We'll ensure that municipalities, the water committees, the ward committees, they must go out on awareness and move people away from the flood lines.”
She added that opening more sluice gates will be determined by the weather.
“We have engineers that are monitoring 24 hours to ensure that when we release, we must have facts, but we must warn communities downstream so that they don't do things that are untoward because they did not know that we are opening a sluice gate.”