Construction of the Mzimvubu dam project in the Eastern Cape, which also includes a hydropower component, is set to start in the first half of 2014, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said this week.

Final planning for the first phase of the project, which has been prioritised under one of the national strategic infrastructure projects, Sip 3, was under way and shovels would hit the ground in early or mid-2014.

She said 19 potential dam sites had been assessed as part of the planning process, and that the Ntabelanga dam site on the Tsitsa river – a tributary of the Mzimvubu river – was found to be the best in terms of domestic and irrigation water supplies.

The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) previously indicated that the Ntabelanga site had the space for a reservoir with a capacity of about 600-million cubic metres, capable of yielding 180-million cubic metres of water a year.

A smaller dam would also be constructed just upstream of the Tsitsa falls for hydropower generation.

These two dams would be developed as Phase 1 of the project.

Last month, Molewa said that the other dam sites would be subject to detailed investigation in the subsequent phases of the development to further increase the availability of water for growth and development in the Mzimvubu catchment area; an area that is the source of water for the areas of operation of two of the DWA's proposed nine catchment management agencies - the Pongola-Mzimkulu and the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikama.

Meanwhile, the Minister said in a speech addressing a sitting of the National Council of Provinces that construction for the raising of the Hazelmere dam, as part of the Mooi-Mngeni Transfer Scheme Phase 2, in KwaZulu-Natal, would start in October.

She also stated that plans for the raising of the Clanwilliam dam, in the Western Cape, were at an advanced stage and that construction of the dam wall raising would start early next year.

In the North West province, Molewa said the DWA and mining companies were implementing the R1.2-billion Pilanesberg scheme, which would create 6 000 direct and indirect jobs.

In Mpumalanga, the Komati Water Augmentation Project has been completed and in Limpopo, the De Hoop dam has reached the final stages of completion, with water being stored.