Zeekoevlei is a major freshwaterlake on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa. [1] The lake is 258 hectares (640 acres) in area.[2] The name means "hippopotamus marsh," with "vlei" being Afrikaans for "marsh", and "zeekoe" (literally "sea-cow") being Dutch for hippopotamus. This is actually not true, a marsh and a vlei are two different bodies of water. The Afrikaans word for hippopotamus,"seekoei", descends from the Dutch.
Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve (established in June 2000) is based on the lake. The total superficy of the reserve is 344 hectares (850 acres).[2] It is separated by a peninsula from the Rondevlei Nature Reserve and preserves endangered Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetland ecosystems. [3]
Zeekoevlei is used often for recreational rowing and sailing.