Princessvlei - Tug of war over Cape Flats wetland continues

Abstract

Wetlands Once, around 1510, a Khoisan princess of the Gorachoqua people lived in Elephant Eye cave on Constantiaberg, Cape Town. While swimming in a nearby vlei, she was abducted, some say murdered, by Portuguese sailors from the ship of Francesco d’ Almeida. Folklore has it that her tears formed Princessvlei, and in retribution, it is said that one person drowns here each year. Centuries later, the controversy around this wetland has not abated. Princessvlei is situated in the Retreat area in the Cape Flats, and is classified as a Sand Fynbos depression linked to a channel (the Diep/ Sand river system), surrounded by floodplain flats (the vegetated areas around the margins). This small, shallow wetland (29 ha) was once linked to Little Princessvlei and the Diep River, but the Little Princessvlei is no longer in the same catchment. For decades, Princessvlei has served as a recreational area and baptism site for the local community.

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