Saturday 22 November 2025
The Vaal gave us another performance this week and half of South Africa went into opera-mode again. High notes, gasps, prophecies, panic, experts, pseudo experts, and the usual chorus of “I told you so”. Meanwhile the river just flowed past, lifted a few lawns, kissed the concrete, and carried on like a lady who has seen far worse.
What a week on the river. The Vaal cleared her throat and we all leaned forward like seasoned theatre goers. Eight sluice gates up top, a thousand cubes from Bloemhof, and the Barrage puffing at over fourteen hundred. And what did we get here at Riverbend? A gentle foot massage from Mother Nature and a reminder to move the garden chairs.
We watched the graphs, the WhatsApp voice notes, the experts, the non-experts, the prophets, the panic artists, and the keyboard hydro engineers. Meanwhile the river just rolled along and did exactly what the numbers said it would do.
Our new additions at Riverbend got their baptism too. The lawns had a sip. The willows dipped their hair. The concrete pads got a shine. Not a bolt loose. Not a brick out of line. Even the fish seemed impressed.
And now, as the Vaal Dam prepares to close four gates over the weekend, we take a breath, smile, and say thank you to all the conductors of this orchestra, whether they sit in control rooms or camp chairs. No drama, no heroics, just a beautiful river doing what rivers have done long before Facebook discovered them.
We came through in one piece.
The river is calming.
And the kettles are back on.
Riverbend out for now, till next time.
