The construction of the Clanwilliam Dam in the Cederberg district in the Western Cape is envisaged to create more than 4,000 job opportunities, according to the department of water and sanitation.

In a statement on Friday, the department said: “A new-look Clanwilliam Dam is envisaged to create 4,480 jobs initially. The engineers have extrapolated that the Clanwilliam Dam project would bring about 3 800 permanent jobs when completed and another further 680 temporary jobs during construction.”

On Monday, the water and sanitation minister Gugile Nkwinti and the Western Cape Premier Helen Zille launched the government project of raising the wall of the dam by 13 metres so it could harvest more water to cater for the people of the region.

The launch happened exactly five months after Nkwinti’s promise earlier this year to undertake the Clanwilliam Dam improvement project within five months.

According to the department, the Clanwilliam Dam project has been delayed for a number of years and such delays have attracted negative publicity for the water and sanitation department.

The new water and sanitation minister had in March told a meeting of the national, provincial and local government leaders during a visit to the Clanwilliam Dam that he intended to introduce new policies and a new work regime in the department in order to ensure that department projects were undertaken on time in order to socially and economically benefit communities.

“His philosophy is that members of the communities where government infrastructure projects are situated should benefit, in terms of jobs and businesses."

Water and Sanitation projects that had been held back for years have now been reactivated and had been included in Nkwinti’s reprioritised list that he submitted to parliament during his budget policy speech,” added the department.