S.P. Botha, Minister of Water Affairs, proposes new schemes to ease the Western Cape's water supply problem
During his opening of the Cape Show on 4 March 1970, Minister of Water Affairs S.P. Botha said that several water projects such as the Voelvlei Dam were undertaken and new schemes like Riversonderend-Berg River Project were to be started to ease the Western Cape's water supply problem.
Botha said "It is however, already clear that many supplementary schemes will have to be tackled long before the end of this century in order to store the water, distribute and use it more efficiently."
Four decades from the day Botha made his statement, a worse drought struck the Central Karoo town of Beaufort West in the Western Cape. The drought forced inhabitants to produce millions of litters of recycled sewage water a day. The Beaufort West's major water reservoir, Gamka Dam remained dry.
The incident led the City of Cape Town into partnering with Henred - SA Roadtankers, a local company based in Bellville that manufactures water tankers. They collectively transported 150 000 litres of potable water to Beaufort West on 15 December 2010.
