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Zwartkops Trust History

The Zwartkops Trust was formed on the 29th of July 1968 by a group of stalwart citizens who were concerned by the authorities’ total lack of interest in the Swartkops River and environs.

The founder members of the Trust were: Roux van der Merwe (Chairman), Eric Vos (Vice-chairman), Brian Flynn, Arthur (Chatty) Knight, Herbert McWilIiarns, Alec Paterson, John St Clair and W M Wild.

It is also interesting to note that there were four sub-committees namely Development and Long Term Planning (Chairman E F Vos), Facilities and Amenities (Chairman J R St Clair), Nature Conservation (Chairman A PKnight) and Publicity & Public Relations (Chairman J DNeaves), an attempt was made to form a River Users Committee. Much of the work of the Trust was done by the sub-committees and the Executive

Committee met only 4 times during its first year. The main reason for adopting the subcommittee structure being to “spread the interests of its members”.

The Trust also appointed Consultant Members as follows:

Dr. J Grindley (PE Museum)

Clr. W M Hayward (PEM)

H L Huisman (SAR & H)

R S Knowles (Publicity Association)

L E Kohler (PE Divisional Council)

R Matlock (City Engineer)

E E Van Rooyen (Dept. of Nature Conservation)

Clr. J Graham Young (PEM)

These consultant members met on two occasions with the executive. It appears that the Trust had the ear of the authorities! It is also interesting to note that a motion was passed at the first AGM that there should be a family subscription fee of R3.00 per family per year.

The issue that was catalytic in the formation of the Trust was the Sewerage Works War. A classic case of winning the battle but losing the war! The Fish water Flats Sewerage Works was proposed by the municipality to deal with the effluent from an ever increasing city. The floodplains of the Swartkops were an attractive site not only because it was an advantage to locate it at the lowest point (to allow gravity feed) but also because it was on the right side of the city away from the wealthy suburbs. The Trust encouraged public opinion against sitting the works on the Swartkops floodplain so successfully that the municipality held a referendum on the issue and we won! Joy in our victory was short lived as this was promptly overturned by the provincial government on the grounds of cost?

This issue highlighted the need for the Trust which was then duly formed in 1968. The first really major issue that the Trust was faced with in its first year was the 1968 floods that occurred in September 1968. In fact the Trust’s Hon. Secretary (Roux van der Merwe I suspect although this is not specified in the records) became Secretary of the Flood Relief Fund!

Construction of jetties and parking bays along Amsterdamhoek to the extent that for many years a riparian owner wanting to construct a jetty or parking bay had to get his plans approved by the Trust first and then the SAR & H.

Removal of prickly pears from the Aloe Reserve. I can remember many weekends spent on work parties pulling them out with the assistance of Dave Sanderson’s Land Rover. The problem was finally only solved in recent years when the parks department poisoned them.

Developing imaginative plans for promoting the estuaries tourism potential ie marinas etc. These ideas would certainly not be acceptable now as the importance and functioning of wetlands is more appreciated.

Marking the navigable channels on the lower estuary below the Wylde Bridge. Roux and I spent several weekends attempting to mark the rocks off Swartkops with a pole and then a buoy.

The interminable problem of bait exploitation. I remember being part of several Trust assisted attempts by nature conservation in which we actually went out at night and arrested bait diggers. The donation of the first boat “Curlew”, an aluminium hulled vessel by BP and AIgoa Round Table. This enabled the trust to patrol the estuary.

The publication of various brochures and books including Eric Vos’s “Sand dunes” which highlighted the importance of sand dunes to the environment and a stable beach system, Karl Edwards “Animals of the Swartkops”, and Noel Urton’s “Plants of them Swartkops Valley Bushveld and the addendum thereto.

The campaign to prevent builders and developers in Bluewater Bay using sand from the sand dunes. This culminated in Joan Finns famous bull dozer sit-in for which she won a national award for civil action.

The Trust was very involved in at least 3 attempts to dredge the estuary none of which have had any lasting benefit. In one effort over at least a year some 75% of the mud bank in front of the ZYC was dredged out. It returned in less than a year! The use of fill from and subsequent destruction of the famous “casting field” near Bar None. The Trust was closely involved in ensuring that the contractors revegetated the area properly. This fill went into the construction of the Bramlin Markman Road embankments.

The Trust was very involved in the design of the most recent and arguably best bridge yet built on the river “the Bramlin Markman Bridge”. This bridge is wide enough to accommodate the biggest floods without causing any material increase in water depth at peak flood times.

The design and location of Motherwell which we fought against and also the terrible disaster of the Motherwell Storm water Canal which was originally designed to come straight down the escarpment and now has an elegant curve. Believe me this was a major battle. We wanted the Storm water to either discharge into the Coega or straight out to sea. We lost this one!

The Trust also opposed the Markman Storm water Canal, which, not being a hard bottomed canal but porous, has proved very successful.

At least 3 huge floods occurred in the early days of the Trust (1968, 1973 and 1981). The Trust was very involved in measures to reduce the impact of flooding particularly at Redhouse. The flood height measuring devices at the mouth and Redhouse were placed there largely at the Trusts insistence. John Lincey, a surveyor, measured the depth of water and profile of the river bed under the Settlers Bridge for many years to determine what, if any, effect the bridge would have on siltation. These records are still available.

The oyster farm at the river mouth came in for a lot of attention and various attempts were made to get the land owner (the SAR & H) to cancel the lease. All to no avail.

The plan (not yet realized) to build the extension of Trunk Route 63 i.e. to connect the Swartkops/Despatch Road with the coastal freeway over the wetlands adjacent to Modder Spruit came in for much criticism, At least 2 extensions to Fishwater Flats Sewerage Works have taken place. The Trust has been very involved in first opposing them and secondly ensuring that they are limited as far as possible.

Then of course there is that perpetual smut in the eye “Carbon Black”.

The History Continues… Site description: The Swartkops Estuary is located on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, 15 km north of the harbour covering approximately 926 hectares. The catchment of this river lies in the Groot Winterhoek Mountains west of Uitenhage. The lower river receives water primarily from the Swartkops and Elands rivers, which flow parallel to each other, in relatively steep narrow valleys, and have their confluence shortly after entering the floodplain. The estuary is tidal for approximately (c.) 16 km upstream, the upper reaches are narrow (c. 90 m wide), channel-like, and twist their way through steep banks of muddy sand. In the upper estuary there is a small intertidal area comprising a sandy substrata where Sandprawn Callianassa kraussi is the most common invertebrate. The estuary widens slightly and becomes less convoluted between Bar None Saltpans and Brickfields in the middle reaches. Below Brickfields, the steep banks flatten and the estuary broadens considerably (c. 350 m wide); here extensive open mudflats provide habitat for the estuarine Mudprawn Upogebia africana. The permanently open mouth is covered with Zostera capensis beds, which disappeared in 1983 resulting in the formation of extensive intertidal mudflats. The Zostera capensis has since returned and the mudflats area has receded.

Saltmarsh comprising occurs commonly in the lower and middle reaches. Redhouse Saltpan is situated on the north bank of the Swartkops floodplain and is found within the Swartkops Valley Nature Reserve. Chatty Saltpans occur south of the Swartkops–Redhouse railway line near Brickfields. The salinity within these saltpan systems is highly variable, ranging between 30 and 50 parts per thousand, but after heavy rain events, salinity may fall to 9 parts per thousand. Three islands occur at Redhouse Saltpan; they have areas of 9.9 ha, 1.3 ha and 0.5 ha respectively. The water depth over most of the pan is 0.6 m. The terrestrial vegetation surrounding the estuary can be divided into four primary types; coastal dune herbland; floodplain scrubland; grassland and thicket. The coastal dune herbland grows along the coast near the mouth, succulent scrub and herbs cover the floodplain scrubland.

Birds: This complex holds, on average, 14 500 birds each year; occasionally it eclipses the 20 000 threshold. Redhouse Saltpan and the Swartkops Estuary each regularly hold more than 4 000 birds a year; on the estuary, up to 3 300 of these are Palearctic migrants, present mainly during the summer months. The estuary and the saltpans provide distinctly different habitats for the 70 waterbird species that regularly occur there. The intertidal mudflats near the mouth of the estuary support the greatest density of birds, including important numbers of African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, Turnstone Arenaria interpres and Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus. Thirteen species have been recorded breeding at Redhouse Saltpan.

Two islands at Redhouse Saltpan host the second largest coastal breeding colony of White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo in southern Africa. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus also breed in large numbers and the pan regularly supports over 430 nests. Redhouse Saltpan also holds the second largest breeding colony of Caspian Tern Sterna caspia in South Africa, including 20% of the country's breeding birds in some years. Grey-headed Gull Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus and Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus also have regionally important breeding colonies here. Important numbers of Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis, Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor, South African Shelduck Tadorna cana, Cape Teal Anas capensis, Cape Shoveller Anas smithii, Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea and Sanderling Calidris alba also occur on the saltpans. The Valley Bushveld in the surrounding Swartkops Valley Nature Reserve holds Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis, Grey Tit Parus afer, Olive Bush Shrike Telophorus olivaceus, Southern Tchagra Tchagra tchagra, Karoo Robin Erythropygia coryphaeus, Cape Penduline Tit Anthoscopus minutus, Black-bellied Glossy Starling Notopholia corrusca and Knysna Woodpecker Campethera notata.

Conservation issues: The Swartkops Estuary basin is administered by the Port Elizabeth City Council. Parts of the upper catchment of the Swartkops River are dammed for storage reservoirs, the largest being the Groendal Reservoir, which is the major obstruction to river flow. Future water demands in and around this growing urban centre may result in the establishment of more impoundments, which will substantially reduce flow and potentially disrupt the ecological functioning of the estuary. A number of State and local bodies are concerned with the estuary and its management and conservation. The Swartkops Trust, in particular, has played an important role in planning and controlling the estuary and environs. Being located in a major urban centre, the adjacent land is used for a variety of purposes, including residential townships, industry and clay mining. As a result, substantial industrial sewage and organo-chlorine effluent enters the river. The activities associated with these land-uses pose a potential threat to the system if they continue unchecked. Bait collecting causes considerable disturbance to breeding and foraging birds. Bait collecting legislation and regulations ought to be re- viewed to minimise detrimental impacts to birds.

It is essential that encroachment by development be prohibited, particularly between the railway-bridge and Redhouse. Redhouse Saltpan (owned by the local authority) is regarded as the most important area for breeding seabirds on the Eastern Cape mainland, and it has now been incorporated into the Swartkops Valley Nature Reserve. Redhouse Saltpan is still operated as a commercial venture ensuring adequate funds and manpower are available for the maintenance of the retaining walls and the continued operation of the waterpump; these commercial functions are vital for waterbird management at the site. The remainder of the site is unprotected; Chatty Saltpans are owned by Swartkops Seesout, and the Swartkops Estuary is zoned as public open space, which is multifunctional, for the purposes of conservation, recreation and development. Access to the saltpans is restricted to permit holders, but trespassing frequently occurs. Humans steal eggs and cause disturbance, which is probably the main problem facing the breeding birds. When water levels are low, the breeding islands in the saltpans are exposed and small predators such as Lesser Grey Mongoose Galerella pulverulenta prey on the eggs and young of breeding birds. Several years of intense pre- dation may lead to the birds abandoning these pans as a breeding site. The Redhouse Saltpan is managed on the basis of a management plan written by A.P. Martin & D. Baird. The primary recommendations are outlined in Martin & Randall (1987). The Swartkops Valley Nature Reserve, along the northern border of the estuary, conserves this area's terrestrial vegetation. The dense vegetation, up to 5 m high in places, forms a closed canopy and serves to bind the shallow topsoil protecting the underlying clay.

Further Reading: Baird, D., Hanekom, N.M. & Grindley, J.R. 1986. Estuaries of the Cape. Part II. Synopses of available information on individual systems. Report no. 23. Swartkops. CSIR Research Report 422. CSIR, Stellenbosch.

Crawford, R.J.M., Cooper, J. & Shelton, P.A. 1982a. Distribution, population size, breeding and conservation of the Kelp Gull in southern Africa. Ostrich 53: 164–177.

Martin, A.P. 1991b. Feeding ecology of birds on the Swartkops estuary, South Africa. Unpubl. PhD thesis. University of Port Elizabeth.

Martin, A.P. & Baird, D. 1987. Seasonal abundance and distribution of birds on the Swartkops estuary, Port Elizabeth. Ostrich 58: 122–134.

Martin, A.P. & Baird, D. 1988a. Lemming cycles – which palaearctic migrants are affected? Bird Study 35: 143–145.

Martin, A.P. & Baird, D. 1988b. Managemant plan for a proposed nature reserve in the Swartkops valley. University of Port Elizabeth.

Martin, A.P. & Randall, R.M. 1987. Numbers of waterbirds at a commercial saltpan, and suggestions for management. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 17: 75–81.