Jetty 3 might soon be restored to its former glory. This after an announcement earlier this week that a new contractor was appointed by the Department of Water Services (DWS) – and not the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) – to manage the facilities.
Artorius Leisure was appointed as the DWS lease holder on Tzaneen Dam and Jetty 3. The contractor have since closed down Jetty 3 for renovations thereby declaring Jetty 3 a construction site as of the 22nd of March this year.
According to Artorius Leisure the renovations will be done in different stages and will include the construction of the new ablution facilities, a new gate with its own guard house, repairing the access road, landscaping the picnic areas, and the construction of new braai areas.
“There will be limited movement on site during the construction period,” said Thabo Ramopai in a statement. “Upon completion of the project we will be charging entrance fees at the gate thereby invalidating the permits previously issued by the municipality.”
The entry fees have been set at R100 daily to launch a boat, R30 per adult person per day, R20 per vehicle and R20 per child. The annual, or seasonal tickets are available at R1 500.
“We will be introducing the previously approved boat wash bay at R25 per boat and details regarding this will be communicated when we reopen. Annual fishing permits will be available upon meeting all the fishing clubs operating at the dam. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused during construction and thank you in advance for your cooperation,” Ramopai added.
Further to this, Ramopai said that the DWS was encouraging the implementation of NEM:BA Regulations relating to alien invasive species like carper and bass.
“Catch and release is being discouraged in all inland dams where these fish have been introduced so we all need to take a decisive decision regarding the catch and release especially during competitions,” he said.
“These fish are a big draw card for fishermen at our dam so the approach to this regulation needs to be cautious, while engagements with different fishing clubs are underway, we will be discouraging the release back into the water of weak or struggling fish. These fish end up dead in the water thereby polluting the dam. We therefore will set up a point where such can be dropped off and will be donated to the needy if the club has no plans for them.”
Bulletin has learnt that the facilities will be rented by Artorius Leisure for an amount of R51 742 per year and the agreement between Artorius Leisure and the Department of Water Services is for a period of nine years and 11 months.
The lease entitles the lessee to use the property for recreational purposes that may include horseback riding, cycling, boating, and access to the dam for swimming, rowing, canoeing, fishing. water skiing and any other water sports as zoned for Tzaneen dam.
For any further inquiries, the public can contact Thabo Ramopai via email at thaboar@gmail.com or telephonically on 076 209 8476 or 071 508 5024 or 076 970 1100.
