SALGA supports De Hoop Dam initiative

SALGA Limpopo’s Senior Advisor for Economic Growth and Investment, Vanessa Khosa, has expressed confidence in the Sekhukhune Development Agency’s (SDA) leadership of the De Hoop Dam Resource Management Plan implementation.

October 24, 2025

Dan Mdluli 1 minute read

A diverse group of people stands smiling in a room with a banner about water conservation. They hold photo frames and a plant, creating a positive, hopeful tone. — Sekhukhune District Municipality, SDA, and SALGA representatives, as well as local economic development practitioners, during a session in Polokwane, exhibited the Yellow Arum Lily. PHOTO: Supplied.

The two-day Sekhukhune District Development Model (DDM) One Plan Review session, which was held from October 14–15, and the Local Economic Development Practitioners Workshop, from October 16–17, were convened by the district municipality at the SALGA Training Centre in Polokwane.

Khosa lauded the SDA’s commitment to developing the Business Case and Revenue Strategy for De Hoop Dam. She stated that SALGA will walk the journey with SDA through capacity building, oversight support, and targeted interventions.

Khosa affirmed that the association’s first major intervention will be the induction workshop for the soon-to-be-inaugurated De Hoop Dam Management Committee.

Puleng Mmotla, SDA’s communication officer, said De Hoop and Flag Boshielo dams represent strategic nodes in South Africa’s emerging Oceans and Blue Economy Programme, an initiative championed by SALGA to harness the economic potential of inland and coastal water bodies.

A woman smiles while holding a potted plant, framed by a promotional cutout for the Yellow Arum Lily Festival on November 29, 2025, in front of a sponsor backdrop. — Vanessa Khosa with the Yellow Arum Lily flower presented to her by Sekhukhune District Municipality. Photo: Provided.

Mmotla explained that through the framework, SALGA provides municipalities with technical assistance in areas such as developing boat launch and docking infrastructure; crafting operating models for small harbours and aquaculture enterprises, and mobilising resources for eco-tourism and recreation, and integrating water-based activities with agriculture, heritage, and tourism sectors.

“Through connecting these interventions to the De Hoop Dam RMP, municipalities can move from planning to tangible outcomes, ensuring that water assets generate revenue, jobs and long-term ecological stewardship. Flag Boshielo, already renowned as a venue for international fishing events, is poised to expand its footprint into community empowerment initiatives, while De Hoop Dam’s RMP offers a governance model for equitable resource sharing,” shared Mmotla.

SDA Acting CEO Dr Rosa Mdluli indicated that the potential for synergy between De Hoop and Flag Boshielo dams is enormous, “Together, they represent a powerful convergence of tourism, agriculture, and water resource management, which is the foundation of Sekhukhune’s next growth chapter,” Mdluli remarked.

Mmotla added that SALGA’s support opens new levers for institutional capacity, project funding, and technical excellence for Sekhukhune District Municipality, Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality and SDA.
He further informed that the De Hoop Dam Management Committee will be inaugurated on November 20.