Name of the Project
Berg River Voëlvlei Augmentation Scheme (BRVAS).

Location
Western Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) is funding and implementing the project on behalf of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). TCTA is a 100% State-owned entity mandated to finance and implement bulk raw-water infrastructure projects of national importance.

The project’s water users/offtakers are the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality; the Bergrivier, Drakenstein, Saldanha Bay, Stellenbosch and Swartland local municipalities; and the Lower Berg Irrigation Board.

Project Description
The BRVAS has been designated a Strategic Integrated Project by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission.

The scheme is intended to improve water security in the Western Cape water supply system for domestic, industrial, commercial and agricultural users. It has been identified as the preferred short-term surface-water augmentation option for the in-deficit system and will abstract winter flows from the Berg river and pump them to the existing Voëlvlei dam.

The project will augment the system’s yield by 23-million cubic metres a year, with benefits for about 6.8-million people and the irrigation system. The full capacity has been allocated through signed water supply agreements. The City of Cape Town accounts for the largest allocation, at 15-million cubic metres a year, with the balance allocated to the Bergrivier, Drakenstein, Saldanha Bay, Stellenbosch and Swartland municipalities, and the Lower Berg Irrigation Board.

The main works comprise a diversion weir on the Berg river; sediment traps; a pumpstation with a capacity of 4 m3/s; a 6.3 km, 1 700-mm-diameter bulk water pipeline to Voëlvlei dam; access roads; power-supply installations; a canoe-fishway chute; a saddle embankment for flood-risk management; and associated environmental mitigation works.

Potential Job Creation
To be determined during the construction tender process.

Capital Expenditure
The cost of the project has increased to R1.4-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction is planned to start in February 2028, with completion/water delivery expected in May 2030.

Latest Developments
BRVAS remained in the preconstruction stage as at May 2026, with detailed design, tender design and associated documentation still to be undertaken. The project programme has been revised, with the expected water delivery date shifted to May 2030 from June 2028, after delays linked to the Guarantee Framework Agreement and guarantees.

The implementation agreement was signed in June 2023. A R2.59-billion explicit government guarantee for specified debt instruments was approved in August 2024, and the Guarantee Framework Agreement and lender guarantees became effective in May and June 2025. TCTA-BRVAS had R2.57-billion of debt facilities in place to fund the project, although these had not been fully drawn, as construction had not yet started.

The borrowing limits were approved by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, with concurrence from the Minister of Finance, in November 2025. All water supply agreements for the full 23-million cubic metres a year capacity have been signed.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Amanzi Entaba Joint Venture, or AEJV – a joint venture between Bigen Africa Group Holdings, Nyeleti Consulting and Gibb Holdings (consulting services). The main construction contractor has not yet been appointed.

Contact Details for Project Information
TCTA, tel +27 12 683 1200 or email info@tcta.co.za