"There's No Life": Fisheries Expert at Hartbeespoort Dam Explains Reality of North West Destination

• Fisheries expert Casper Kruger from Optimum Fisheries and Research filmed the dam's surface completely covered by invasive water fern
• The expert warned that beneath the thick green mat, there is no oxygen and no aquatic life surviving
• South Africans online could not believe the green carpet was actually water and not a field of grass

Casper Kruger's video from Hartbeespoort Dam in North West is leaving South Africans stunned. The professional working with Optimum Fisheries and Research filmed the dam on 15 July 2026, and it was reposted on TikTok.

What appears to be a vast green field stretching to the dam wall is, in reality, the water surface. The entire dam is blanketed by Salvinia minima, a fast-spreading invasive water fern, thick enough to wipe out all life in the body of water.

Hartebeespoort Dam under threat

Casper Kruger estimated that the invasive plant currently covers between 12% and 20% of the dam. The real danger, he explained, lies beneath the surface. The dense mat cuts off all oxygen from the water below, leaving no conditions for fish or other aquatic life to survive.

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He called for a structured, well-funded and scientifically managed intervention, not a once-off clean-up. His appeal included proper equipment, adequate manpower and safe disposal of the removed plant matter. The goal, he said, would be to bring coverage down to around 2% so the ecosystem and fish population can recover. Casper also urged viewers to share the video widely to raise awareness and support funding for the effort. Watch the shocking footage of Hartbeespoort Dam covered in invasive water fern:

SA reacts to green Hartbeespoort dam

South Africans watching the clip on TikTok were equal parts shocked and amused:

@màsìRFH™ said:

"What if someone who doesn't know this place just walks in, not knowing there is water 😭"

@koki shared:

"I would walk on this thinking it's grass 😔"

@Sinenhlanhla Zama🇿🇦 joked:

"The dam owner wants privacy"

@FifiRPK@ BlackRose wrote:

"If you want to see what ANC destroyed come to North West"

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@Jane APLGO sweets asked:

"It's an every year thing. Why complain every year?"

@Hlalabemnuka_ noted:

"Apparently that plant can be turned into plastic"

@Lefa commented:

"The North West Provincial government is going to pay McKinsey R8 million in consultation fees for them to report that the plant is invasive. R10 million in additional fees for them to report that it needs to be removed."

Other Briefly News stories about community

• The recent celebration in the Western Cape as Mayor Marais Kruger showcased a video of the Garden Route Dam overflowing after much-needed rainfall.
• A recent study by researchers from UCT, which uncovered alarming levels of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals contaminating the waters of False Bay.
• Briefly News previously reported on devastating flooding in the Western Cape caused by heavy rainfall, which left homes and streets submerged, prompting local authorities to monitor rising water levels closely.

Source: Briefly News