Lake called environmental tragedy

North End Lake in Gqeberha, shadowed by Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, is deteriorating with damaged gabions and mounting rubbish. Environmentalist Arnold Slabbert calls it an environmental tragedy caused by mismanagement.

“The people that are supposed to be managing the lake are mismanaging it”

Gabions designed to trap plastic

The damaged gabions are wire mesh cages filled with stones designed to trap plastic waste before it enters the lake.Slabbert said the system previously worked well and was meant to be supplemented by charcoal bags.

“It worked perfectly before”

Maintenance contract expired

The Mandela Bay Development Agency's maintenance contract, awarded in May two thousand twenty-three at an annual cost of seven hundred eighty-seven thousand rand, expired on nineteen April two thousand twenty-six.

Lake once fed fishing communities

North End Lake was a popular destination for water sports and family outings.Nearby poor communities relied on its tilapia and carp as food sources, with people fishing weekends and taking their catch home to eat.

“There was a thriving community of fishermen that lived around here”

Powerboat club confirms decline

Brendan Kelly of the Eastern Province Powerboat Club says the lake hosted many powerboat races but competitions stopped due to economic factors, not water quality alone.

“The water conditions at the moment are not great”

Stadium cleaning teams no longer active

Kelly notes that stadium management previously maintained the lake perimeter with cleaning teams picking up litter. These teams are no longer visibly active, contributing to the lake's deterioration and accumulated rubbish.

“We certainly don't see the teams clearing the area around the lake as we used to”

Agency plans repairs and bins

The Mandela Bay Development Agency says it is working to repair damaged gabions and install about twenty-five bins along the one kilometre stretch of stadium fencing bordering the lake.

Competing priorities across metro

The agency points to competing maintenance needs across Nelson Mandela Bay, noting the municipality made seventeen million rand available for infrastructure maintenance across the metro. Priorities are assessed against operational requirements, risks and available resources.