Departmental spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, says this is due to the release of water from both the Vaal and the Bloemhof Dam. This comes after parts of the country have been hit by heavy rains during the past weeks. Ratau says they have already started releasing water from the Bloemhof Dam, and will release more water.

“At the moment, we are releasing about 500 cubic meters of water per second from the Bloemhof Dam," says Ratau. 

He says the Vaal Dam was expected to reach 100 percent capacity today, but they have discovered that the flow into the dam has slowed down and they will defer the release of water from the Vaal Dam by a day or two.

Ratau adds that the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane, will this afternoon be at the Vaal Dam to update the media on the status of the drought countrywide, and to particularly look into the issues of the integrated Vaal Dam system, which includes the Vaal Dam and the Bloemhof Dam. He says she will also lay out plans moving forward, seeing that the integrated Vaal Dam system has seen such substantial rainfall in the past few days which has led to a rise in the system.

- Katleho Morapela/OFM News