Protect the West Coast (PTWC), a grassroots organisation, has emerged as a crucial force in the fight to preserve this fragile region. Through legal action, community engagement, and public awareness campaigns, PTWC is working to protect the West Coast from further exploitation, advocating for sustainable alternatives that honour the land and its people.

For a more in-depth look, read our interview with PTWC founder, Mike Schlebach.

What makes South Africa’s West Coast special?

Like much of South Africa, the West Coast is a biodiversity hotspot. There are plants and animals endemic to specific parts of the West Coast, which you’ll find nowhere else in the world. Like the newly rediscovered Golden Mole! It’s also home to some of our oldest fishing communities, which have already been massively impacted by the off-coast mining and trawling of this area. 

The West Coast is special for its stunning, far-stretching beaches, its incredible flower season, its untouched nature, and its communities.

Why does it need to be protected?

A screenshot from this interactive map of the status of all known mineral extraction activities in the region

The West Coast is an environment severely under threat. There are many mining threats both to the coastline and the ocean — some of which are active, and others still  prospecting.

“The history of mining on the West Coast is long, the diamond industry has been mining up in the Northern Cape area, on the beaches up there, for the last hundred odd years. But the creep is coming fast and furiously down the coastline.” — Mike Schlebach

This mining is incredibly damaging to the environment, leaving once-thriving ecosystems barren. Rehabilitation efforts have been woefully inadequate or non-existent. Despite legal obligations to restore mined areas, the lack of governmental oversight and enforcement has allowed mining companies to neglect their responsibilities.

These mines also have a serious negative impact on locals, as they prohibit and limit coastal access to traditional fishers and nearby communities. This is one of few food and financial sources for these communities; it is part of their heritage and their culture, and it is being denied to them.

“Apart from inland mining on the West Coast, there’s the beach mining. And then you’ve got on the near shore — most of the coastline has been divided up into diamond concessions. And then you’ve got diamond concessions further out to sea and now they’ve got oil and gas out to sea as well.” — Mike Schlebach

How PTWC is defending the coastline

The Protect the West Coast initiative has made significant strides in raising awareness and driving action to preserve one of South Africa’s most vulnerable regions. One of the organisation’s most notable achievements has been its extensive media outreach. Prior to the campaign’s efforts, only a few thousand people were aware of the environmental challenges facing the West Coast. Today, many more are informed, thanks to their ongoing efforts to highlight these critical issues.

A key victory for Protect the West Coast came through legal action, where they successfully halted TransHex’s mining operations in the Olifants River Estuary. The settlement, reached out of court, marked a major triumph in the fight to protect this vital and delicate ecosystem.

Beyond legal battles, Protect the West Coast has been actively working with various conservation organisations, including Cape Nature and Sanparks, to secure the Olifants River Estuary as a designated conservation area. This effort is especially urgent as multiple prospecting applications currently threaten the region, with the potential to lead to full-scale mining.

Actionable ways you can help the cause

So, how can you help prevent mining and exploitation of this area? Here are a few things you can do.

Register with Ripl

Ripl is PTWC’s new public portal for engaging with mining applications along the West Coast. It has just launched after two years in development, and will notify registered users of new applications, allowing you to review details, submit comments, and file appeals. 

The platform aims to increase public participation by involving more concerned citizens as well as specialists and environmental experts. Ripl will empower more people to challenge mining projects and hold companies and the government accountable, making it more difficult for applications to pass without proper scrutiny and pushback. We are so excited about this project!

Donate

Donating is always a fantastic way to engage. PTWC puts your donations to great use, spreading the message, taking guilty parties to court, and holding companies and government accountable.

Donating is also a really great option for businesses who are interested in helping the community and environment of South Africa. 

Share and spread awareness

Sharing and engaging on PTWCs social media posts on what’s happening on the West Coast is really impactful, despite being a small action in itself. It spreads the message — so many South Africans don’t even know this is happening in our own country — and brings visibility and accountability to the issue. The more people know about exploitative mining practices here, the better we can hold our government accountable for allowing it to happen.

Run West

Run West is an annual race along the beaches, villages and vegetation of the West Coast. It’s a really brilliant initiative which allows you to explore the area, support its protection and defence, and bring more visibility to the issue. 

The most recent Run West took place on the 22 September 2024, so make a note in your calendar for 2025!

Last thoughts on protecting the West Coast of SA

There are so many ways that the West Coast’s situation can be improved! Mining is not a necessary industry here; it has very little economic benefit for our country. 

There are many exciting, hopeful projects, “like algae farming, kelp farming, perlemoen farming, all those kinds of things that are non extractive, they’re circular and they could have a very healthy home on the West Coast. They have the opportunity to employ so many community locals, with long term, sustainable jobs, not just for as long as the mine exists.” — Mike Schlebach

The West Coast can also be rehabilitated, encouraging local vegetation and wildlife to thrive here once again. There’s so much hope for the area. We just need to stop the mining and destruction of delicate areas, and bring more accountability into current processes.

Want to know more? Read our interview with PTWC founder, Mike Schlebach.

The post Protecting the West Coast of South Africa appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

Mike discusses the ongoing damage caused by companies like MSR and Trans Hex, who have been granted mining rights with little oversight or public input. He highlights PTWC’s current initiatives, including the development of Ripl, an online portal designed to empower communities to oppose harmful mining projects. 

This interview offers a look into the struggles and successes of PTWC, showcasing the critical work being done to protect one of South Africa’s last natural frontiers.

What made you start Protect the West Coast?

Mike Schlebach: There were a few of us that founded Protect the West Coast together. Basically just the group or regular users of the West Coast. None of us actually live up there. 

Katja Mamacos: It’s mostly Cape Town based?

Mike: Yeah, we all are Cape Town based. In fact, our legal guy is from Durban. Before he got involved with Protect the West Coast, he’d never been up the West Coast! Now he’s been a few times. But yeah, it started with a small group of surfers that frequent the area and gradually became aware of all these new encroachments of the mining industry down into areas that were largely pristine and underdeveloped or with no development at all.

So I think it was like mid 2020 when we found out that there was a mining company, an Australian mining company called MSR that had just been given a stretch of coastline that included these 10 pristine beaches to mine. It was given to them without them having to go through a whole new mining application.

They have an existing mine there, a very big mine, and they just got this 10 beach extension approved. And that was out in the media a little bit. And that was a light bulb moment for a few people. 

My involvement came a little while later when I just got out of a business that I founded. I had some time and energy and I took a trip up into that area and got to see for myself what was really going on up there.

The history of mining on the west coast is long, the diamond industry has been mining up in the Northern Cape area, on the beaches up there, for the last hundred odd years. But the creep is coming fast and furiously down the coastline.

A screenshot from this interactive map of the status of all known mineral extraction activities in the region

On your site it says there are 30+ applications.

Mike: Yeah, including prospecting applications. When you look at the maps at the moment, the West Coast is severely under siege. 

Apart from inland mining on the West Coast, there’s the beach mining. And then you’ve got on the near shore — most of the coastline has been divided up into diamond concessions. And then you’ve got diamond concessions further out to sea and now they’ve got oil and gas out to sea as well, you know. So it’s just a complete shit show. 

Katja: It really is! So did you start with the legal or the informing the public side of it? 

Mike: Yeah, so for the first two years of PTWC’s existence, our main mandate was to bring what was happening on the West Coast from a mining perspective into the public domain.

Katja: Ja that whole coastline is very out of sight. 

Mike: Out of sight, out of mind. There’s very few communities up there. And it’s not a big tourist area either, so we saw it as one of the last frontiers, as an area that we could go and visit, surf and free camp and do all these things that you can’t do anywhere else in the world. Yeah, not so much anymore. But there are also these communities up there that have been severely affected, especially in the northern regions, by the diamond mining industry.

And if you think about De Beers, which is the biggest diamond producer and seller in the world… They extracted all of the early billions from that Northern Cape area. And they’ve left that area completely unrehabilitated. Some of the community there, they’re some of the poorest in the country — some of those towns have like a 75% unemployment rate, and those were all diamond areas. 

Why is it that the mining companies aren’t legally obligated to restore the area? 

Mike: They are. The government, through the Department of Minerals and Energy, is supposed to be providing oversight. They are the same entity that is approving the applications, and then they’re supposed to provide oversight and things like that as it goes along, but they don’t do that. They don’t have the capacity and so it’s a complete free for all. The approvals and the applications historically have been woeful at best, in terms of the content of these applications. They’re copy and paste. 

Katja: They really don’t have to put in much effort. 

Mike: Ja, and then they’ll say, okay, we’ll give X amount to the local communities. We’ll have a one and a half million rand rehabilitation fund when they’re looking at a couple of billion rand mining site, and they’ll say we’ll provide X amount of jobs. But ultimately they don’t; nothing transpires as it should…

So PTWC was really about bringing the mining story on the West Coast into the public, and now it’s transitioning into a new phase. Last year we took one of the mining companies to court — Trans Hex, which has been mining on the West Coast for the last 60 or 70 years. And to date, we have not been able to find a single rehabilitated site that they’ve mined. 

Katja: I saw you described it as a moonscape on your blog.

Mike: Yes! For example, the area between Hondeklip Bay and Alexander Bay. It’s a stretch of coastline that spans about 230 kilometers, and it’s been severely ravaged by the diamond mining industry. It’s not just De Beers, it’s De Beers, it’s Transhex, it’s Alex Core, which is a state owned entity.

And that area, if you drive through it, you can look in and see parts of it — it’s 230 kilometers long and about 20 or 30 kilometers wide. And it’s just… it looks like what I would think the moon looks like. And a lot of these companies are moving further and further south down the coastline.

In the middle of 2022, Transhex started mining the beaches of Dooringbaai. That’s why we took them to court, because there was no public engagement. No one knew who they were, they just showed up and started mining and it turns out that the Department of Minerals had given them a new permit to mine and we thought that was illegal. 

The Tronox mine, by Jacque Smit

Katja: Yeah, without any community engagement. 

So with the community engagement, I know you’re working on a comments and appeals portal. How’s that going? 

Mike: Yes, Ripl! We’re calling it Ripl. And Ripl is in the final throes of coming to life. We are hoping to have it live in the next two weeks. 

It’s been a two year project at least. A lot easier said than done, but it will be a first of its kind in South Africa. It’s a portal that allows the public to really engage with the mining sector on the West coast.

So when a new application comes in, we will get notified. We put it on the portal and the portal sends out an alert to everybody that signed up for it. And then people can go through the details of the application, everything will be there and then they can provide comments and appeals and things like that when the time is right.

Katja: That’s really great!

Mike: Yeah, it’s really great because historically the amount of people that engage with these applications, you can count on one hand. You get four or five people that are knowledgeable and they’ve been completely overwhelmed, because there’s just so much going on.

So now we’re looking to get hundreds, if not thousands of normal people just registering their views. And then, it’s a great opportunity for specialists and scientists and things like that, who know a lot about how these things should work to also have their say. It should make life much more difficult for both the government and for the mining applicants just to push these things through, because there’s this proper pushback. 

Katja: Ja, because we also have a lot of people who know so much about our local environment, who would definitely get involved if it’s accessible. 

Mike: Exactly, that’s the idea. And then we also want to take this opportunity to the youth. We want to go and roll this out at schools and get the youth involved. Because this is their future. Over the three and a half years since we’ve been in existence, we’ve had a lot of quite a bit of engagement from schools and youngsters at schools that are like, how can we help? How can we get involved? And this is a wonderful way for them to do that. 

Katja: That’s fantastic. Because until now, every time a new application comes through, you have to find it and register as interested. This is really great, that interested parties can stay consistently involved. 

Do you think it’ll be possible to roll it out in different parts of the country?

Mike: Absolutely, yeah we do. This portal was created by a local digital agency that has done it all pro bono — a digital agency called ibay. It’s taken a massive effort on their behalf and our behalf just to get it to where it is.

And the idea really is, like you’ve alluded to, to start with the West Coast and then gradually expand it. But there are costs involved. It’s SMS based, as we’re trying to appeal to the affected areas and affected people and communities that don’t have email and don’t have the internet. But they have a phone and they have SMS. And there’s a cost to an SMS, so if you’ve got tens of thousands of people doing this thing, it can cost quite a lot of money. but yeah, but that is the plan

Katja: And then put it on a subscription service for those who can afford it? Or how would you cover the cost? 

Mike: We would get sponsors. We could maybe even get one of the big cell phone providers on board. It’s petty cash for them. 

Katja: Okay, lovely. That’s really exciting!

You refer in your 2024 goals to a Strategic Environmental Assessment. What needs to happen to get the government to commit to doing that along the entire coast? 

Mike: That’s a very good question. In the last few years we wrote to Barbara Creasy when she was the minister of environment and suggested a moratorium on mining until a strategic environmental assessment had been done. Because we feel that the government is flying completely blind. They’re approving all these applications ad hoc and when you look at the maps of where these things are, they’re all right next to each other or even on top of each other, and and they’re not taking into account the accumulative impacts of all of these things. If things carry on the way the they are then the coastline from at least Elands Bay all the way to Alexander Bay will be one big mining pit. 

So yeah, the SEA should be commissioned by the government themselves, by the Minister of Environment or the DMRE. It’s not a small project — normally SEAs are done for a much smaller area. But we would encourage them to do one from all the way from Elands Bay all the way up to Alexander Bay and that’s a lot of money and takes a lot of time.

But yeah, we’ve encouraged them. We’re actually putting together a new letter for the new Minister of Environment. We’re going to be writing to him in the next two weeks. Again, just bringing his attention to what’s going on up there, and strongly suggesting the idea of an SEA.

The reality is that there are so many interested and affected parties on the coast that an SEA would really benefit, and if the government won’t get it done themselves, then potentially what we could do is just find the funding to initiate it ourselves.

And then, just get the government to agree to at least looking at it and using it as a tool to make informed decisions. 

Katja: So why would it cost so much? What is involved? 

Mike: It’s a lot of scientific data you’re looking at. So what an SEA really encompasses from my understanding, is it takes a look at how the West Coast should best be utilized from an economic perspective, from a social perspective, from a heritage perspective, and then also from an environmental perspective.

So if you could think of it like, mining in some areas is acceptable and can happen as long as it’s done legally and properly, and then you’ve got areas that are rich in biodiversity and that should be left untouched. 

Katja: Because a lot of these areas where the plants are endemic and can’t be found anywhere else.

Mike: Yeah, there’s the golden mole up there that Leonardo DiCaprio posted about that is nowhere else — it lives on a 20 kilometer stretch of coastline. There’s plants up there, like you’ve alluded to, that don’t grow anywhere else in the world.

People think because it’s a semi arid, desert type of area that it’s barren. But it’s one of the richest, most biodiverse areas in the world.

Then there’s also agriculture, there’s tourism, there’s all these other factors that play a role. Those all need to be factored in and you need to go in there and collect all the data and do all this research. And it’s a big area, it’s a changing area, so it’s not all just copy and paste, so every area has got to be looked at individually and you’re probably looking at two years or so and ~10 million rand just to get that done properly.

Katja: That makes sense because it sounds like a really holistic overview. 

Mike: Ja, and it’s the kind of thing that can be used for the next 50 years. So when you think about it in that context, and you think about all the people that it’s affecting and the environments that it’s affecting, then 10 million is nothing. 500,000 US dollars or something, it’s really doable. 

Katja: And it’s something that maybe the mining companies themselves should be contributing to? 

Mike: There is that too. Ja. But a lot of these mining houses are really, not B grade, but more like C grade mining operations. They’re there because they know they can get away with a lot. Mining legally and responsibly costs a lot of money, and a lot of these company don’t have that kind of money. So they’re here because they know that they can bribe government officials and they can get away with stuff and they don’t have to do what they say .

So what are some ways that readers can help with the West Coast? They can register as an interested party. Are there any other paths? 

Mike: Look, yeah, it’s yeah when Ripl comes to life in the next couple of weeks people can register there. They can get involved that way. They can donate to our organization — the team that work at protect the West coast have been up until a few months ago doing this all pro bono and now they get paid a small stipend for their work.

But yeah, they can donate, they can engage with us on social media. If you’re a specialist or a scientist, as in geologists, marine biologists, etcetera, can always reach out to us and see how we can work together and collaborate. Then for the layman, really just sharing our stories and engaging where you can on social media. And if you’re a specialist in anything, a writer, journalist, whatever, you know helping tell our stories or your own stories, even, that’s great.

And then yeah, we sell merch on our website and all that kind of stuff. So if you want to support that way, that’s great too. 

Tormin mining operation, by Jacque Smit

Katja: That’s great. 

What is PTWCs biggest success story so far? 

Mike: I think our biggest success story has been our media outreach, what we’ve done to highlight this plight, this issue. I think before we came into existence, it was probably a few thousand people that knew about it. 

Katja: That even knew that it was happening at all. 

Mike: Yeah. And then you’d probably go down to a few hundred, that actually saw the problem for what it is. Now many more people know, and I think that’s been our biggest achievement by a long way. 

And then the court case, for sure, we settled out of court and we stopped TransHex from mining in the Olifants River Estuary. 

We’re also doing a lot of work with various different organizations like Cape Nature and Sanparks, to get the Olifants River Estuary deemed a conservation area, because there are actually, I think, three or four mining applications in the Olifants River Estuary at the moment. They’re not mining, but prospecting, which leads to mining. 

And then Ripl and our community engagement, we’ve created community around this and a platform for the affected communities — we’ve given them a voice, or giving them a voice, we’re in process. And it’s the first time ever. Over the years there’s been activists or individuals in the communities that have been trying to push back against what’s happening up there, but it’s always been ad hoc and one at a time and individual, and now we’re providing a unified voice which has been really great.

Katja: Yeah, that’s fantastic. 

Mike: The other sort of agenda, I suppose you could call it, is that we want to encourage other industries, more modern industries that fall under the nature-based solutions umbrella. Like algae farming, kelp farming, perlemoen farming, all those kinds of things that are non extractive, they’re circular and they could have a very healthy home on the West Coast. They have the opportunity to employ so many community locals, with long term, sustainable jobs, not just for as long as the mine exists.

Katja: That would be amazing. Is there any current movement in that direction? 

Mike: Yeah, there is, but in typical South African government style, the red tape surrounding these things is massive. We know of several international kelp farming organizations that have tried to set up shop here and that have actually left because they couldn’t get it right, from a red tape and legislative perspective.

We’ve also been engaging and partnering with an organization called CH4. They want to create algae from seaweed. And a perfect plant for them could be set up on the coastline in an old mining dump site or mining site. A small plant could produce at least a thousand full time jobs. And then the bigger plants could produce like 4,000 jobs. And that’s creating biofuel for the shipping industry, which is also amazing.

Katja: Then it’s non extractive and it’s contributing positively. Yeah, that sounds incredible. 

Mike: It is! And honestly, there’s enough diamonds in the world now to service whoever wants them. And there are better solutions. 

And rehabilitation — we could set up some rehabilitation projects on old mining sites up there that could reestablish the fauna and flora that was there, and create jobs for people.

Katja: There’s so much more that could be done. Are there any restoration projects currently? 

Mike: No, we pitched one to De Beers last year and they just flatly said no. They strung us along for a few months, the initial reaction to our proposal was, yes, this sounds like something we could get involved with, sounds like a great initiative and would do a lot of good for the area. Then they sold their last mine, and it changed to ‘we’re done here now, we don’t have to do anything else, it’s somebody else’s problem’. 

Katja: That’s disappointing. Okay, so no projects yet, but if Protect the West Coast got greater funding, then there’s so much that you can still do there.

Mike: Ja exactly. We really see our role as a facilitator. We have great community engagement and we’ve learned from the communities that we’ve engaged with, that they are really desperate, they are some of the poorest communities in the country. A lot of them can’t even fish for their living because of government intervention, and there’s not a lot of farming because these are arid areas. And ja, the mining industry has turned their back on these communities by and large. And so nature based solutions are the way of the future. All of these guys are crying out for it, the powers that be need to see it for what it is. 

So that’s our project, it’s really to firstly tell the world that this needs to happen, and then try and facilitate as best we can.

The post Interview with Protect the West Coast CEO, Mike Schlebach appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

Ladles of Love is a non-profit organisation that feeds hundreds and thousands of disadvantaged individuals across Western Cape and Gauteng. They have established 160 soup kitchens and served just under 40 million meals since their inception and they aren’t slowly down anytime soon. Their feats are so incredible and inspiring that we had to learn more and share it for you here.

One of Wander Cape Town’s major goals is to learn and share some of the amazing projects happening in Cape Town and the people involved. So we sat down with Danny Diliberto, CEO of Ladles of Love, to talk about the organisation, it’s mission, where it started, where it is now, and how it came to be more than just a soup kitchen. I don’t want to spoil too much, so please enjoy the read!

What inspired you to start Ladles of Love? And how has it evolved since its inception? 

Danny: So Ladles of Love was founded in 2014. It was founded on the basis of an ancient Sanskrit word, Seva. Spelled S E V A. Seva means giving of yourself, wanting nothing in return. But one needs to understand Seva. Seva is not even the joy that you get out of giving or just doing because you can. And that’s why that word resonated for me.

They teach you in church to give to get back. That’s not Seva. Seva is just giving. And then I had an interaction with a homeless man one day and being in the restaurant industry at the time, I was inspired to start a soup kitchen outside of my restaurant.

The restaurant was in the city with lots of homeless people and I had the kitchen so it was easy. No problem. And so I started my very first soup kitchen in July 2014, outside of my restaurant. And one soup kitchen became four soup kitchens. I just kept going. I knew when I started Ladles that it was a weird spiritual thing or whatever you want to call it. Religious, I don’t know.

I knew it was going to be more than one soup kitchen. It was just a godly gut feeling. And so one kitchen became four soup kitchens. I also found out kids were going to school hungry. That was around about 2015. So I started connecting with schools and helping them. One school became six schools. I was working with other soup kitchens that were feeding the homeless and I was providing them with either cooked food or the supplies to cook their own food so Ladles of Love was in those days doing around 15, 000 meals a month.

Then COVID hit. I remember I was listening to Cyril’s speech, that speech where we knew he was going to put us into lockdown. I remember how they were gradually putting us into lockdown and that night we knew. 

It’s like I knew exactly what I had to do. I call them godly conversations. I knew I had to get to as many people as I could, as quickly as I could. I didn’t know where to get the money from, or how I was going to do it. I just knew I had to do it. And the one thing that Ladles has taught me is when you get those gut feelings, listen to them.

Don’t ask people’s opinions, which you get a lot of for free. And just take the first step. And that’s what I did the very next day, I just took the first step. And Ladles just exploded. We went from doing 15 000 a month to doing 200 000 meals a week in a matter of weeks. Like literally in a matter of weeks. We just started connecting with soup kitchens out in the communities.

And I was just using the model that I was trained to do. Life has a way of teaching us, you know? So I thought let me connect with soup kitchens and help them with food supplies. So I just put the word out. I said to the guys that I was working with, “Listen, if you’ve got a kitchen, and you can collect food, connect with me and I’ll help you”.

And you can imagine how it went crazy. My phone just lit up. People were just calling me, and I was going on references; before I knew it I had 150 soup kitchens, that we were supplying bulk food to and 50 tons of food a week out of our warehouse at CTRCC. That was my peak. 

Justin: And this was during COVID?

Danny: This was during COVID in July. So between March and April, we went from like 100 kg a week to 50 tons a week 

Justin * whispering *: Damn…

How do you manage to expand processes like that so that you can accommodate such a change?

Danny: You know when those godly conversations, whatever you want to call them, those gut feels, you’ve got to really just go with it. You’ve got to trust and focus on today. So whatever comes your way, deal with it and see where it takes you.

There’s no time to make decisions or anything like that. And that’s what I was doing. I was working day by day. We went from our little kitchen in Roeland Street and moved to CTICC. This was about three weeks into COVID. They gave us the entire Square Five, which was like 50 000 square meters.

And that’s where we just exploded because now we had the space. At the time, there was me and my cook that was employed at that time. Then we moved to CTICC and I realised I can’t rely on volunteers. So I just started talking to volunteers and they were out of work because business was shut down.

And I said, can you use a computer? They said yeah, I said, okay, just start collecting data. I just knew I had to collect data. When you perform Seva, I remember the teacher telling me this, two things will happen. You will always be provided for and as you grow, your shoulders will grow to take on the responsibility, and no one can argue that with me. Because Ladles has always been provided for, and this is what was happening.

Someone came to me and said I have a system that monitors food coming in and food going out, I said bring it. And I just needed people to fill the needs that presented themselves. The next thing I was employing 50 people. They were earning starters, they were earning like R7 000 a month or something. But 50 people from 2 people. I had no idea what I was doing, so I was just going day by day, and we had CTICC for 6 weeks.

People were saying to me Danny, what’s going to happen when the six weeks is over? I said I don’t know. I said I don’t know. And then the next thing, we moved into Grand West. Grand West gave us the entire exhibition hall, two and a half thousand square meters. 

Justin: Wow… 

Danny: They couldn’t use the exhibition hall. And they gave us three months at a time, and they just kept renewing because no one was allowed to do exhibitions and so we stayed there for a year and a half, you know. And where, where do you, you’ve now got different positions around the city.

So now you’ve expanded to different locations around the city?

Danny: We moved into this warehouse in Epping and as always, this landed on our lap literally the next day. The minute they gave us notice we had this. The landlord’s been amazing. He knocked like R 40 000 and off the rent. He doesn’t charge us levies. So this is our warehouse and this is where all our soup kitchens come and collect their food. So they come and collect the food and then they take it back. So we’ve been able to organically grow this distribution network into the communities through collection. 

Do you have your own recipes and how do you ensure that all soup kitchens are doing the same kind of quality? 

Danny: They all get the same vegetables like carrots, potatoes and butternuts as well as maize meal, rice, and samp. They also get oats, sugar, and salt, and they’ll take this back and cook with these items. And we’ll regularly check in and see how things are going and if they’re doing the work and that there is no funny business.

We have caught a couple and had to close them down or we just don’t supply them anymore. It’s the 80-20 rule. The majority of them are doing the work. 

And what made you decide on this route for helping people? Why feed people?

You said that you were working in the restaurant industry. How did that play into where you are now? 

Danny: At the time of COVID, food parcel was the big word and so I investigated these parcels and I noticed how bulky they were, how they were filled with junk, and they said this parcel could feed a family of four for a month and looking at this thing I realised there’s no way. There’s no way that this parcel that’s costing hundreds of rands can feed a family of four. And so it wasn’t making sense to me. And then I had a realisation. I said, “Hang on, why don’t I just use what I’m doing right now? Give them the food to cook. As long as they can come and fetch it, they can take it back and cook the meals that they want.

As long as you’re giving them the nutritious food, then they’re going to cook that food, right?

So that’s when I realised this is how we’re going to do it. That’s how we’ve managed to get so much food out into the community because my philosophy was that I’d rather serve a million people one meal a day than ten thousand people three meals a day. That was my philosophy. 

So, I was strict with the guys. I said, “You can’t make food parcels out of this stuff. You’ve got to cook this food. It’s really important”. 

And where do you source your veggies? Are they locally grown? 

Danny: Yeah. They have to be. 

Katja: They have to be? 

Danny: Well, I mean, they, they’re carrots, potatoes, and butternuts. They’re within even the Western Cape. 

Katja: Okay, fantastic. 

Danny: So we work with commercial farmers because of the price. It’s bulk, the tonnage we need. We do work with community farmers as well. Their vegetables are of course a lot more expensive because of the scale.

But their vegetables are just so much more beautiful and so much more real. But that’s our sustainability project where we support the community farmers who are really an important part of the food ecosystem, the food chain.

We have a program called Feed the Soil and it’s about getting the farmers’ vegetables to market. And what we can’t sell, we give to our beneficiaries. 

Katja: Right, fantastic. And where are those markets? Are there specific ones in Cape Town that people can support? 

Danny: The Feed the Soil program has three purposes to it. The first one is to draw your food waste away from landfill because that’s a huge methane contributor. Rotting food waste creates methane. 

So you’ve got places where people can bring their compost?

Danny: Yes, well their food waste.

Katja: Okay. 

Danny: The second is that we take that food waste and convert it into compost, and third we give that compost for free to the community farmers and then we buy their vegetables. So that’s the three purposes of Feed the Soil. 

It’s a bucket system that we created. A person buys and pays R200 for this bucket. You can get a small bucket or a big bucket. I won’t go into the process but once you fill your bucket, you can take it to one of our three depots around Cape Town: One in Sea Point, Constantia, and Vredehoek. 

So those happen once a week when you bring your bucket on that day in your area, and you swap it. And that keeps the system going. We’re collecting over a ton of food waste a week so we have collaborated with Y Waste, who then convert it into compost for us. So for every ton that we give them, they give us 300 kilos of compost. Rich, nutritious compost, which we then give to our farmers. And then at our depots, we sell their vegetables. 

Katja: Amazing. That’s a really good circular system. 

Danny: The next phase of Feed the Soil is to grow the program, get others involved, and get more veg to market.

Katja: So bring them to restaurants?

Danny: Yeah.

Katja: Okay, fantastic! That would be amazing to see. And then they can see specifically on the menu that this supports local vegetable farmers.

Danny: Yes, exactly. Gorgeous George, the hotel in St. George’s Mall, is an upmarket hotel and restaurant, so their food cost can handle that price because it’s about three times more. But you see the ethos behind Gorgeous George, it’s not about the vegetable, it’s about supporting the community farmer. That’s the ethos. And that’s the people we need to look for, that we can connect with, that will buy it.

They still push you a bit on price, but they understand. But the quality is, I can’t even explain to you. When you bite a carrot, your tongue burns from the flavour of the carrot. It’s just, it’s just incredible. And it’s freshly harvested, you know. They harvest it on Monday morning and they deliver it Monday afternoon to us. It doesn’t get fresher than that.

Katja: Amazing. 

So, at this point, how many do you roughly feed in a given month? How many people?

Danny: Currently, we’re at our lowest at the moment. We’ve dropped to about 20 tons of food a week. 

Katja: And why is that? 

Danny: Donations, cost of food. Okay. To give you an idea, rice has just shot up R2 a kilo. That for us is a 25 percent increase. And when you use two tons a week, you’re looking at roughly an extra R5000 a week just on rice. Vegetables fluctuate, but to give you an idea, my vegetables last week jumped up R17 000 rand in one week. So, it’s putting a lot of pressure on how much we can get out.

And donations are not flying in. The challenge with donations is you have to invest more money to get the donations. So now I need to employ a key accounts manager. The salary of that is not small but I need that person to go and connect with corporates now.

We need to get more corporate money. So I need to invest this salary that could go for six months without bringing in one cent. But hopefully, through creating a relationship, the money will start pouring in and we can start increasing our quantity.

So currently we’ve worked out we’re supporting around 35 000 people a day with food and we know the quantity of food that we need to feed a hundred people. So we’ve taken that recipe and entered it into our system and it generates the meal count according to that recipe. We are anywhere, depending on our output, between 150 000 – 200 000 meals a week that we are able to serve with the food that goes out. 

Katja: Okay, fantastic. And so you’re expanding on your Corporate Social Responsibility program to try and get more South African companies involved.

Danny: Yes, so I’ve learned something very important called mindset. And what is mindset? Mindset is what you tell yourself. And how do you change your mindset? You change your mindset by changing the words in your head. So for example, charity. If I tell myself I’m a charity, that’s what I will be.

But if I want to create an impact, I need to see myself as a business. I need to change the mindset to run this organization like a business. I need to employ people. I can’t go to the landlord with a bag of lentils and say this is for the rent.

He’s gonna think I’m smoking something. So you’ve got to have that mindset, that business mindset if you want to create impact. We’ve got to spend money on social media, we’ve got a whole CRM system that costs us money every month. We talk through our emails monthly, I’ve got a communications manager that I need to pay a salary every month.

Hopefully, this gives you an idea of what I need to do to run this organization. Then last year, I remember I was sitting in one of our marketing meetings and I just, I just looked up with my team and I said, you know what guys, we don’t have donors anymore. I’m not going out with a begging bowl.

I said we’re changing our mindset. We are looking for stakeholders. People who want to walk a journey with us. They are our customers, and we treat them like our customers. So, we deal with them professionally, we respond quickly, and we work out ways that we can work together.

That’s really, really important to us. Our goal now is to create long-term relationships. Customers that will stay with us. That has been our guidance and our strategy. It’s great coming up with the idea, but the implementation gets tricky sometimes.

And we’re getting there now. That’s why we are now looking for a key account manager. That’s going to cost us a fortune every month that’s part of the strategy of creating stakeholders.

Katja: That’ll be interesting. I hope it goes really, really well because I do think the whole idea of corporate social responsibility is something to work towards. I can give you some SEO tips later!

Danny: But this mustn’t just be about the tick, about ticking the CSR box.

Katja: No, that is the problem with that kind of thing. Some businesses do  it because it’s tax-deductible and because it’s part of the employee benefits package. I figure as long as it’s a tick for them, but then the employees who are participating in it are engaged then it’s still worth it.

Danny: Yes, and then hopefully with us, it’ll make it more real, come from a real place.

Katja: Wonderful. 

So you’ve got quite a number of projects going on at the moment. What are you most excited about?

Danny: All of our projects. I’m passionate about all of our projects. We are primarily a food relief organisation but I have to say that our Feed the Soil program has sort of become my baby.

I love it because it’s about taking care of Mother Earth because if we don’t, who’s going to take care of her? It’s a little drop but I’ve always said at least do something. It’s about changing the mindset in the community, encouraging people not to throw their food waste away, and teaching people that when you throw food waste away, you’re wasting food.

You really are, even when you’re not going to eat it you are wasting food. So let’s not waste food. Let’s take care of our Mother Earth. So that is definitely my baby, but of course, I’m passionate about getting food out because food is a basic human right, and people shouldn’t have the choice whether they eat or not.

Katja: And proper nourishing food. 

Danny:I mean, imagine you go home and you open your cupboard and there’s no food, and there’s no money in your bank. How scary is that?

Katja: No, it’s terrifying. I can’t imagine really. No, that’s wonderful. And I really love the sound of the Feed the Soil project. I imagine then they don’t use pesticides and herbicides and they’re just doing good.

Danny: Oh, it’s good. And I call it uncertified organic. Can’t get more organic than that. Really, you can’t. 

Katja: Wonderful. Yeah, the whole certification is expensive. 

Danny: Yeah, exactly. 

Katja: So, uncertified organic is good as well. Yeah, that’s really wonderful.

So where would you still like to take the project? Is there any part of the vision that you haven’t achieved yet?

I know you said you were actually kind of going step by step, but it wasn’t all planned out at the beginning. 

Danny: Yeah look, I drive my team mad. I drive business coaches mad because I believe I am a spirit-driven leader and wherever Ladles is today hasn’t been done by me.

It’s been done through me. I know what our why is, and that’s touching people’s lives in a positive way with love, dignity, and respect and as long as we’re doing that, then we are sailing our north star. And you know, do you ever reach north? You don’t. As long as you’re travelling towards our north star, as long as you’re sailing northwards, then you are achieving your why. And that’s how I’ve run Ladles of Love and everything that’s happened is what meant to happen. I believe we have to create impact and touch as many people as we can. 

How big will Ladles get? I don’t know. But we will continue touching people’s lives, as many as we possibly can. 

Katja: That’s wonderful. And it’s really lovely to chat with you and know that all of this is coming from a very good place because I think one gets a little bit cynical about NGOs sometimes and so it’s good to hear. It’s really good to hear and I’m excited to see where it goes!

Danny: Thank you. 

Katja: I mean, it’s huge already. 

Danny: Yeah, we launched Gauteng just over a year ago. They’ve just passed 1. 6 million meals that they’ve served. And now we’re going to launch Northern Cape. Five early childhood development centres we’re going to support.

I was serving the homeless in the city. 

Katja: It’s expanded so much. Are you then working with other NGOs who run part of it? Or do you send someone out there to be the main person running it? Is this in Gauteng? 

Danny: So in Gauteng, we opened another warehouse. It’s a much smaller version. We’ve got 21 beneficiaries there that we support. 21 soup kitchens. We’re hoping to launch Feed the Soil there as well. In the Northern Cape, I’ve connected with one of our beneficiaries and I’ve connected with a supplier. We will give the order to the supplier every week and they will deliver it. He’s got a place where they can deliver it. He will then break it up and distribute it to the five ECDs and I will pay the supplier.

Katja: Fantastic, alright. 

Who or what inspired Cake Day?

Justin, that was one that you and Küra were curious to know. 

Justin: Yeah, I’ve done a few volunteering days at the Hope Exchange. And I think once a week they do a cake day where they bake a cake and then serve that with the meals and so we were just curious because we heard it also from the people who were coming to collect meals. They were like, “Ah, yes! Cake Day!” And they all got stoked about it. 

Danny: Honestly, I don’t know what inspired it because it wasn’t me. It was, it was my volunteers there. I think when it really started was when we got a donation. I think it was apples, like a huge donation and I said to the guys, “What are we going to do with all these apples? They’re going to go off.” I think they decided to cook them and then freeze them and we just thought why don’t we just make cake with it.

They just seem to enjoy cooking cake now, and it’s delicious every time I go, I’m stealing the cake. 

Justin: *Starting to salivate* It’s really good. 

Danny: Yeah. Ladles of love, when I started the soup kitchen, it was about serving healthy, nutritious, tasty, well-prepared food. Food that I’m going to serve my mother. I don’t care that you’re homeless. It doesn’t make you lower than me. You’re still a human being. So at the end of the day, you still deserve to eat a good bowl of food. And if my mother ain’t gonna eat it, you ain’t gonna eat it.

And then you bring in Didem, who’s my like head volunteer there. And she’s Turkish. Bring in a Mediterranean. She loves food. I will send cucumbers and lettuce and you’ll see the dish that they create, a pasta sauce with cucumber in it. And you taste it and you go, and she says, “I don’t know what I was doing, I just threw everything in and spiced it.” And you taste it and you go, “Wow, this is frickin nice.”

That’s what happens at the Dignity Kitchen, and that’s why we’ve called it Dignity Kitchen. 

Katja: I really love that because when he first came back from his first volunteering, Justin said the food looked really good. I wanted some of that food. And that was really great to hear. Because I’ve done a food kitchen before and it was something I would never eat. And so it’s really cool to see someone doing it the way I would want it to be. 

Danny: And I’m strict with my guy and I taste every time I’m there. And a couple of times I say to Paul “Taste this.” And he tasted it and he goes… So is it nice? And he goes, Hmm. I said, so why are you cooking it like this? And so he learned very quickly that he can’t cook crap. 

Justin: Maybe a bit of a hard question, but if it does happen that the meal is subpar? Something that you wouldn’t wanna serve your mother. What would happen?

Danny: In our kitchen it would, it would only really be the flavour. The food is still fresh and it’s still nutritious. We’ll try and fix it up as much as we can if we can, but if it’s, if it’s too late, there’s not much you can do. You can’t not feed them much. You can’t throw it away, I mean I can throw it away, but…

Last question, how can individuals and businesses get involved and support the mission?

Danny: Website. Ladlesoflove.org.za.  Go on there. Of course, money is always first. Like I said, I can’t go to the landlord with lentils and say “here, this is for the rent”. But sponsoring food and volunteering too. I realised this in the beginning when I was doing volunteering. I saw how people, strangers, were coming together in our soup kitchen and all of a sudden there was no gender, there was no religion, there was no colour. It was just human beings. 

I just saw strangers come together and they’re smiling and they’re laughing. You’re working as a team and you’re just giving a bowl of food and I said “Wow this is like feeding the souls of our volunteers as well!” So I realised I needed to make volunteering as easy as possible as well and that’s been the essence. So we really try hard to create volunteering opportunities.

This week we launched our new volunteer calendar. Register as a volunteer on our website and you’ll get our weekly newsletter which keeps you updated because we’ve got campaigns going which often need volunteers. On Mandela Day we had 6, 000 volunteers.

Katja: That’s the one that you started with, Justin. 

Justin: Yeah, that was the first one I did and we were cutting squares of material for the educational bean bags. And I think I cut somewhere close to maybe 500 squares or something like that. I decided to fold the material as many times as possible so I could make one cut and one cut and then I have a whole square.

Danny (finishing an earlier thought):

So go onto the website LadlesOfLove.org.za. You can donate there. You can sign up for our newsletter, and you can volunteer. 

I saw you had an R250 monthly donation. That’s a good starting point. 

Danny: Recurring donations are so good. 

Katja: They’re always the best.

Danny: When you know you’ve got that money coming in every month, it’s like, okay.

Katja: Wonderful. Alright, I think that’s it. 

Danny: Cool. 

Katja: Thanks so much, Danny. I really appreciate it. 

The post Interview with Danny Diliberto, CEO of Ladles of Love appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

Featured image: YWaste employees at a sorting facility

Benefits and importance of going green

A green economy is defined as “’low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive” (UN). Sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (UN). 

A common misconception businesses have is that participating in the green economy via sustainable practices would require them to go out on a limb, be a first mover and take a knock on their competitiveness. 

The reality is that we are in an incredibly difficult economic climate. The impacts of worsening loadshedding beyond Stage 6 at the time of writing, drought risks, inadequate infrastructure, a poorly performing education system, unemployment and poverty are all putting a huge amount of stress on business and investment. Sustainable practices are quickly becoming a necessity as businesses need to adapt to the constraints placed on resources and skills. 

The market has also shifted as new generations are placing increased value on sustainable products/services/jobs thus creating the future demand and improving brand image and profitability.

The overall message is simple: going green is key to a thriving long-term business strategy.

Photo: Creation Wines, Hermanus. Installed by Soly

How you can do it too!

The best approach for your business will depend on many factors including the sector you are in, the nature of your business, and where you are in the value chain. Below you will find some principles and themes to get you thinking and exploring the possibilities.

Knowledge is Power

The first step is always doing a deep dive into your business and understanding the nuts and  bolts. Simply, what are all the inputs required to achieve the product/service we are providing? Try to think as broadly as possible about all aspects with which the business interfaces. The other side of being informed is keeping an open and curious mind to the new and interesting developments in the green economy. A great way is to track news and insights on GreenCape.

A few questions to ask yourself:

• What are the utilities of my business?
• What are the physical assets?
• What are the human resources?
• Have I explored alternatives?
• How do these compare to those of my competitors?

Going further, it is also important to interrogate how these resources are being utilized and whether there are opportunities for optimization (there often are!). Optimization can range from changing behaviour to implementing smart devices.

An example is using an energy audit to understand your business’ electricity load profile. This might reveal faulty equipment that is drawing more than it should, or being on when they don’t need to be. Something as simple as timers for lights can result in low-hanging savings.

Some questions to ask:

• When am I using these resources?
• How much am I using in these times and why?
• Do any of these resources contribute minimally/inconsequentially to the end product/service?

Symbiosis

Everything, including “waste”’ has value in the right context. This perspective on the leftovers from your business operations creates opportunities to turn business expense lines into diversified streams of revenue. You are not alone. Sustainability is in the best interest of the collective. Collective effort and co-ordination is powerful when we communicate our joint needs and capabilities.

Some questions to ask:

• What material am I disposing of, how, and at what cost?
• Who are my neighbours?
• Are there nearby businesses or markets that require these materials as an input?
• Can I acquire an input from a nearby business or market at a reduced price?

See this example, where fabric off-cuts from a business were used as inputs for making boutique bags. Other opportunities for mutual benefit can also include sharing of co-located assets and resources. Again, the sky is the limit with creative configurations here. 

Photo: Chad Robertson and Nkazimlo Miti, founders of Regenize

4 ways you can green a small business

Do an energy self-audit

There are plenty of resources online such as this to get you started before you get involved with an energy service company.

Use plastic-free packaging

Paper and plant-based alternatives to plastic — for product packaging, food packaging, etc. For example, check out: GoodForGround

Use local suppliers and creators

Support local businesses — this reduces transportation emissions and contributes to the circular economy

Encourage greener transport options

Facilitate secure bicycle racks
Accommodate public transport schedules into work shifts
Promote ride-sharing and use of associated apps — for example, check out: Jrney

Resources

Here’s a list of some innovative businesses helping Cape Town go green: 

Energy
PayGas
Soly
SunExchange
Fountain Green Energy
Flx EV
Water
LiquidGold
Waste
Inseco
Regenize
YWaste
ReWoven

Agriculture
Aerobotics

Conclusion – Green Washing?

Greenwashing happens when a company makes an environmental claim about something the organization is doing that is intended to promote a sense of environmental impact that doesn’t exist. While claims aren’t often scrutinized, it’s a bad look when brought to light. 

That said, if you have taken all of the above steps and have gone the extra mile to implement sustainable practices and are actively participating in Cape Town’s community of green businesses, feel free to use that as marketing and competitive edge. Ultimately, that is also a great way to inform, inspire and motivate the growth of the green economy.

The post Local business’ guide to going green in Cape Town appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

With imagery captured by talented photographers, explore the towering kelp fronds, learn about their unique biodiversity, and understand their cultural and economic importance to the local community.

Header image: The magical kelp forest from above. Photo: Jason Boswell

So what are kelp forests?

A kelp forest is a unique underwater ecosystem that’s comprised of a type of large, brown seaweed known as kelp. Just like terrestrial forests, kelp forests are characterized by high levels of biodiversity and complex three-dimensional structures.

Kelp, which is a type of macroalgae, can grow remarkably fast in conditions where sunlight, temperature, and nutrient levels are ideal. Some species can grow up to 45 centimetres (18 inches) per day, reaching heights of over 45 meters (150 feet)! They possess a root-like structure called a holdfast that anchors them to the ocean floor, and a stem-like structure called a stipe that connects the holdfast and the leaf-like blades. 

Some kelp species also have gas-filled bladders that help the blades reach towards the sunlight at the ocean’s surface, forming a canopy.

This architecture creates different layers or zones in the kelp forest: the canopy at the top, the understory in the middle, and the bottom layer near the ocean floor. Each zone has distinct light, temperature, and nutrient conditions, and harbours different species of marine life.

Digging deeper into Cape Town’s kelp forests

Locally we call our kelp forests, the Great African Sea Forest. In local languages, it is known as the forest of the Groot Seeamboes, Imbambosi or scientifically, as Ecklonia Maxima.

South Africa’s kelp forests are dominated by two species of kelp: Ecklonia maxima, also known as sea bamboo, and Laminaria pallida. Sea bamboo, the larger of the two, can grow up to 12 meters (39 feet) tall, creating a dense underwater forest that provides shelter and food for many species. Laminaria pallida tends to grow in deeper or more turbulent waters where sea bamboo can’t thrive.

These kelp forests are found along the western and southern coasts of South Africa, in the Benguela Current. This region is characterized by upwelling, where cold, nutrient-rich water rises from the deep sea to the surface, providing an abundance of nutrients for kelp growth.

Why they’re important, environmentally and culturally

Spotted Gully Sharks swimming in the Kelp Forest; Photo by Danel Wentzel

The kelp forest ecosystem is the most biodiverse ecosystem in the world, where you can find all sorts of creatures in all shapes and sizes. They can range from the minuscule brightly-coloured nudibranch to the shy and elusive Spotted Gully Shark. Kelp forests are used by marine creatures mainly as a nursery for their young, protection from predators, and food. 

Everything is interconnected. If you remove one component, everything will collapse. For example, overfishing predatory species can lead to an overpopulation of sea urchins, which can then overgraze the kelp, leading to what is called an “urchin barren.” A once rich and diverse kelp ecosystem turns into a sort of semi-desert. So maintaining a balance is vital!

Kelp forests’ importance to humans

Not only is the kelp forest valuable to these amazing marine creatures, they are also very valuable to us humans. In South Africa there is a growing awareness and connection with kelp forests. With the growth of an already established diving community, we have seen an increase in one-on-one access and connection with our forests in particular. 

 Red Roman swimming in the Kelp Forest; Photo by Ben Wiid

Over centuries kelp forests have been a critical source of food for coastal communities, particularly the small-scale fishing communities which have been active for generations. Fishermen in these communities grew up spending time in the local harbour learning from their elders about ways of fishing, how the ocean works, and how to support their families by making fishing a livelihood. Because fishermen depend on the ocean for their livelihood, they are some of its greatest defenders, ensuring that the oceans are protected and not exploited.

Small-scale fishing boats in the fishing community of Kalk Bay; Photo by Gunnar Oberhoesel

Kelp forests are also used as a source of tourism and income by local businesses. Some local businesses such as dive centres use kelp forests as a place to teach their students how to become divers or simply to explore all that can be found in these forests. South Africa has a unique ecosystem that can’t be found anywhere else. As a result, many people visit our country to explore these beautiful underwater forests. 

With that said, it is crucial that we protect these forests to ensure the longevity of these ecosystems and the economical benefits that come from these habitats.

What we can do to ensure they’re protected and thriving

Everyone can do their bit to ensure that our Kelp Forests and oceans are protected for years to come. You can start small, whether it may be attending beach clean-ups or trying by all means to reduce the amount of single-use plastic that you use on a daily basis.

It has been estimated that by the year 2050 there may be more plastic in our oceans than fish, which is really alarming. This shows that plastic is a design failure and it’s now our chance to work together to make sure that this estimation doesn’t become a reality. 

As previously mentioned, one of the best things to do is to avoid the usage of single-use plastic. This gesture will not only help heal our oceans and their ecosystems, but also force companies to reduce their plastic production. Consider using reusable products such as reusable shopping bags, metal water bottles, etc. 

Plastic travels in more ways than imaginable. No matter where you are or live, plastic will find its way into our oceans and subsequently into our kelp forests thus harming our ecosystems. 

A piece of plastic that found its way into the Kelp Forest; Photo by Danel Wentzel

Cleaning up plastic

A lot of times when you go into the kelp forests for a dive or to explore, you will come across pieces of plastic. Sadly a lot of plastic ends up in our kelp forests and can threaten the creatures that live in these ecosystems. 

An easy way to remove this threat is to retrieve the piece of plastic and put it in your wetsuit. When you return to shore you can put it into the nearest bin. This is one way to explore the kelp forest while giving back to it. 

In addition to picking up pieces of plastic when you are exploring the kelp forests, you can join underwater clean-ups that regularly happen in our surrounding areas. These land and underwater clean-ups are a way for our communities to ensure that our kelp forests are protected. 

Local community clean-up spearheaded by Sentinel Ocean Alliance; Photo by Gunnar Oberhoesel

Increasing Marine Protected Areas

One cause that will have a more direct impact on kelp forests, is the importance of Marine Protected areas. On land we have nature reserves that are set up to protect the fauna and flora within their boundaries — Marine Protected Areas are exactly that but for our ocean! 

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are vital for conserving ocean biodiversity and protecting vulnerable species. They safeguard areas where uniquely sensitive ecosystems can be found, and lessen overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction.

As a freediver who has dived in both protected and non-protected areas. I can personally vouch for the impact of these protected areas. Marine life is more plentiful here. It is vital to protect these areas whether it is through advocacy or via a scientific approach.

A Hottentot swimming in the rich and plentiful kelp forest within an MPA; Photo by Ben Wiid

A more hands-on scientific approach

A scuba diver from Cape RADD doing citizen science; Photo by Cape RADD

If you want to take a more scientific approach to protecting our oceans, there are many citizen science initiatives you can participate in such as Cape RADD’s citizen science snorkelling and scuba diving trips. During these trips, you get to experience the kelp forests first-hand while participating in data capturing, research and assessments of these amazing ecosystems. Should you wish to instead go on a snorkelling or diving excursion, there are many dive centres & marine guides that would be more than happy to take you into the kelp forests.

Exploring the Kelp Forest

Tourists before leaving for a snorkelling trip with Cape RADD; Photo by Cape RADD

It is best to go with people who are informed about kelp forests when snorkelling, freediving and scuba diving in Cape Town. The best dive sites to go to are located in Simons Town, False Bay. There are many dive centres and marine guides based here, a favourite being Impact Divers based at the False Bay yacht club. Impact dives offers a very hands-on service with their clients with many packages available. You can rent your own gear or alternatively go on guided diving trips. It is however important to go with experienced divers in the ocean for safety and educational reasons. Once you have your gear and someone to go with you, a whole magical world awaits you! 

Scuba Divers from Impact Divers chilling in the kelp forest; Photo by Impact Divers

My personal favourite dive site

Cape Radd Snorkellers exploring the shallows of Windmill Beach; Photo by Cape RADD

My personal favourite site, Windmill Beach, is incredibly easy to access for anyone who wants to dive. There is ample parking, however, it can get packed during hot summer days! It is recommended to visit Windmill Beach if you are just starting out as it is sheltered and a haven for marine life as a result of it being a Marine Protected Area. 

Some of the incredible species that hang out at this site are countless common octopus, numerous fish species, pyjama sharks, the magical Short-tail stingray, and if you are lucky the resident seal can also be spotted. This is why marine protected areas are important as they play host to marine creatures in a safe and protected environment for all to see. Just note that Windmill Beach is just one of the many amazing dive sites in Simons Town.

Some last words from myself

Myself in the kelp forest off Windmill Beach; Photo by Dani Minutelli

From a personal perspective, I implore you to explore our oceans and especially our abundant kelp forests. It is a gift to have them and like all gifts, it is important to protect them. Our next generation deserves to see what we are lucky enough to see and experience. It is up to us to protect our kelp forests, marine life and planet as a whole while additionally encouraging the next generation to do the same. 

My friend Loyiso Dunga puts it nicely, “If you bend the bark of the tree while it’s still young, then you can shape it towards whatever direction you desire”, it is up to us to bend and shape the next generation to be custodians of our oceans and our kelp forests.

Myself at a beach clean-up hosted by Sentinel Ocean Alliance; Photo by Gunnar Oberhoesel

In conclusion, I would like to thank those who have given some input in this article, those people being Kholofelo Sethebe and Loyiso Dunga. Lastly, I want to give a huge shout-out to all the amazing divers and photographers who have contributed some photos for this article. Having said that, go out and explore but most importantly, let your future begin! 

About the author: Jethro is a freediver, mental health advocate and environmentalist based in Cape Town, focusing on ocean conservation. Since the age of 13 he has championed the cause to protect our oceans. When he isn’t diving, you will find him exploring Cape Town or camping in the Cederberg. For more about him, head to his link tree or website.

Learn more about Cape Town’s oceans!

Interview with underwater photographer Helen Walne

The meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

Seal snorkelling in Hout Bay, Cape Town

The post Getting to know the kelp forests of Cape Town appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

As an avid gardener, attempting a fynbos garden was an idea I never really entertained.  In my mind, they belonged in the wild and therefore will only grow and thrive in the wild.  Little did I know.  I have no background in botany, ecology or conservation yet I currently hold the future of our Cape Floral Kingdom very close to my heart thanks to my newfound basic knowledge and understanding of locally indigenous flora. So how did I go from knowing a bare minimum about our locally indigenous flora to now having a vested interest in it? 

As a botanical fine art photographer, I felt compelled to learn more about what I was capturing. Since 2021, I have been part of the Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery volunteer team under the supervision of Erin Cowie, retail section manager and LIFE garden consultant.  The Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery is a FynbosLIFE project founded by Dr Caitlin von Witt, who specialises in environmental conservation through the agency of locally indigenous wild flora. Well over 350 local plant species grown strictly from Cape Town lowland genetic stock are produced at the nursery. The word LIFE means Locally Indigenous Flora Education.  The word hybrid is like a swear word there.

So, let me share with you what I have learned by answering the most frequently asked questions.

What is fynbos?  

Fynbos is not a singular plant like the protea.  It is part of a family but not just one family.   It consists of a variety of plant families and although they are characterized by the three families proteas, restios and ericas, their shapes are all uniquely different.  

Fynbos is made up of a variety of plant families

Where does the name derive from? 

Directly translated, fynbos means “fine bush”, derived from the Dutch word “fijnbosch”.   It’s quite aptly named when looking at how most of the plants have the appearance of a thick shrub (small bush) and developed small, yet hard, leathery leaves to adapt to our harsh coastal winds, dry summers and wet winters. 

What makes fynbos fynbos?   

Fynbos is a very unique biome that is famous for its exceptionally high species richness and endemism. Combined, there are an impressive 9,600 species in all fynbos families.  With its astonishing endemicity, roughly 70% occur nowhere else in the world.  All of which is confined to the Fynbos Biome. With its most dominant displays in the Cape region, it is no surprise that Cape Town has been named the most biodiverse city on the globe.

Are all locally indigenous plants fynbos? 

Fynbos is the South African biome that stands out from the rest because of its extraordinarily high diversity and endemism. Even though the Cape Floral Kingdom consists predominantly of fynbos, it also contains a variety of other equally important vegetation groups. 

Here are two vegetation groups well worth investing in…for all the right reasons.  Distinctly different from the evergreen-looking fynbos is the grey-looking renosterveld vegetation. Although also part of the Fynbos Biome less than 2% of renosterveld vegetation types are formally conserved, resulting in renosterveld being one of the most threatened vegetation groups in the world. 

Cape Flats Dune Strandveld is an Endangered vegetation type endemic to the coastal areas around Cape Town. It plays an important role covering and stabilising sand dunes in False Bay and on the West Coast. 

Want to learn where this vegetation is being conserved? Read our article on ecosystem restoration in Cape Town!

Can anything grow in lifeless soil and windy conditions?  

Absolutely, but only provided it is meant to be there!!  Does your soil appear to be hard, dry, infertile, stoney, or brittle? Or does it feel grainy and fine? Perhaps it is clayey or slightly moist and darker. It all sounds equally dreadful doesn’t it?  However, that is exactly what locally indigenous plants love!!! 

Metalsia muricata, a Cape Flats Dune Strandveld species can withstand dry sandy, windy conditions.

Establish your soil type and you’ll have an idea of what type of plants would grow in your garden.  Better yet, visit us at the Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery to learn more about Cape Town’s different veld types such as Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (Critically Endangered, endemic), South Peninsula Granite Fynbos (Critically Endangered, endemic) and Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetlands (Critically Endangered vegetation type), to mention a few. Choosing plants for your suburb’s original veld type will make all the difference in your garden.

Tips to plant a healthy fynbos garden

Before dashing off to buy a variety of plants, here are a few basic things to jot down. 

• Your suburb location 
• Soil/sand description
• Wind direction
• Seasonal and daily sun direction
• Garden size/ available space
• Description of any alien or invasive plants in your garden

The more information, the better!

In the meantime, here are some tips I’ve found invaluable!

1. Plant during rainy season only, starting early winter from May/June.  

2. Get proper guidance before making a final decision as fynbos do not like to be fussed about.  Get some assistance at Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery in choosing a variety of locally indigenous plants according to the veld type that will adapt easily in your garden.  

3. Ask questions! Good questions to ask would be about planting distance as fynbos prefer being grouped — like in their natural wild environment.  Ask for tips on pruning to encourage a more natural-looking bushy appearance.  And let’s not forget the watering specifications. Different types of fynbos plants have different watering requirements. Fynbos only become fully water-wise once well established. 

4. Once you have your amazing selection of plants, you can start planting!  It’s very important to get them in the ground almost immediately after purchase as they do not like to be moved around. As they are sensitive to root disturbance, make a concrete decision about where you want them positioned.  

4. Once firmly secured in the ground, place a layer of woodchip mulch (roughly 5-10cm) on the surface. This will ensure the roots remain cool and lock in moisture.

Secure your plant with layer of woodchip mulch

6. Avoid using fertilizers, bone meal, mushroom compost or any DIY home-made compost (an absolute no-no for fynbos).  

7. Water every second day for the first two weeks to help the plants settle. Thereafter follow the suggested twice-a-week watering guide for roughly three months after planting (while also keeping an eye on winter rainfall).  Continue to water during the summer season until the plants are established.  

8. The most important part is to take absolute pleasure in the gradual transformation of your new garden while simultaneously helping preserve our Cape Floral Kingdom – one plant at a time.  

Keen for a more detailed guide for first-time locally indigenous gardeners? FynbosLIFE’s founder Dr Caitlin von Witt has written “Veld Type Greening Guidelines for the Cape Town Lowlands” which provides guidance on where to start, as well as plant species lists keyed according to veld type. Contact info@fynboslife.com to receive a copy. 

Erica abietina subsp. atrorosea (a Cape Peninsula endemic)

What are the benefits of a fynbos garden? 

As stated on the FynbosLIFE website;

“Not only are these urban biodiversity gardens ecological assets for wildlife and water conservation, but they are also aesthetically pleasing and offer us opportunities to observe, understand and conserve our faunal and floral heritage.  Gardeners in turn become local biodiversity custodians and stewards of one of the world’s hottest biodiversity hotspots, the Fynbos Biome”.

Editor’s note: if you want to follow Eri-Kah’s photography and activities, you can view her portfolio on Pinterest or follow her on Instagram!

The post Beginner’s guide to growing a fynbos garden appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

When you think about scuba diving, usually the first image that comes to mind is diving in warm tropical waters, hovering over coral reefs. But have you considered there might be an even more colourful dive site out there, teaming with life?

Along Cape Town’s shores, there lives a world beneath the waves. From the surface, kelp forests just look like floating, slimy plants, but once you submerge underneath, you will see an alien landscape come to life. In these kelp forests live over 14 000 documented species of marine animals.

Cape Town is one of the largest cities in South Africa and among the most multicultural in the world. It’s uniquely situated on the tip of Southern Africa, surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Atlantic Ocean brings cold water upwards from the icy poles. In contrast, the Indian Ocean brings down warm water from the Mozambique channel. The meeting of these warm and cold-water masses has resulted in a vast diversity of life underwater.

Kelp (Ecklonia maxima), also known as sea bamboo, form underwater forests rising up to 15 m from the sea floor. They create a unique habitat to explore, acting as a refuge for smaller species of reef fish and shysharks.

Tips for marine life-spotting

You have all the gear ready, your mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit packed. Now what? Here are some tips for learning how to spot the kelp forest locals. 

• Check the diving conditions — Just like we experience different weather days on land, the ocean is the same. Using weather apps like windy.com will help make predictions on the best days to go explore. 

• Research your dive site — With such a great diversity of life underneath the waters of Cape Town, you can expect to find them in various habitats! From cold water corals, being home to over 80 species of described nudibranchs to the thick kelp, hosting shelter to the 13+ species of sharks in our waters. 

• Pick up a field guide — It’s always worth browsing the common species in an area before taking the plunge. Field guides are excellent, as they also tell you which habitats particular creatures are found in. This will help you know where to start looking. My favourite is the Two Oceans Guide.

• The kelp forest is home to numerous camouflaged critters, including some of the most interesting in the ocean, but spotting them can feel like a game of Where’s Waldo. Make sure to slow down. The slower you swim, the better chance you’ll have of spotting those camouflaged creatures waiting for you to pass by.

• Get low — Swimming close to the bottom and scanning the top of the reef line is a good way to spot sneaky fellows, such as octopuses, as they attempt to slink away unnoticed.

• Ask a local divemaster, they often know the locations of resident critters. Mention what you hope to see; chances are, the divemaster can take you right to it. You’ll also be helping to support local eco-tourism this way!

Editor’s note: You can get more marine life tips and inspiration from Danel on her Instagram page!

Common endemic marine life found in Cape Town

Cape Town’s underwater world is teaming with life. On a single dive, you can spot a great diversity of species, including octopi, crustaceans, sea fans, sponges, feather stars, brittle stars and interesting fish, like the klipfish (34 species have been described in Cape Town, most of them endemic). The Kelp forest is also home to several small sharks, including catshark and shyshark species, which use the kelp as a refuge from larger predators.

Cartilaginous fish (aka the sharks and rays)

Cartilaginous fish are fish that have a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone! Sharks and rays are some of the most common of this type.

Pyjama shark

The pyjama catshark is a small but mighty shark found in the kelp forests and rocky reefs around Cape Town. This shark is named for its distinctive striped pattern, which resembles a pair of cosy pyjamas. But don’t let its cute appearance fool you – the pyjama catshark is a skilled hunter that can use its sharp teeth to prey on various small fish and invertebrates. 

One of its unique adaptations is the ability to curl up its long, slender tail into a doughnut-shaped ball, which helps it hide from predators and squeeze into tight spaces. 

Puffadder shyshark

The puffadder shyshark is a master of camouflage, blending in perfectly with the rocky reefs and kelp forests where it lives. Their unusual markings – golden brown with reddish-brown saddles – resemble that of their namesake, the puffadder snake, an aggressive species also found in South Africa. But unlike their reptilian counterpart, the puffadder shyshark is pretty non-confrontational; they curl up into a doughnut when threatened!

Short-tail stingray

The short-tail stingray is a large and impressive ray found in shallow waters around Cape Town. This ray has a flattened, disc-like body that helps it blend in with the sandy seafloor and avoid detection by predators. One of its most unique features is its venomous barb, which it uses to defend itself from predators or to stun prey. But don’t worry – the short-tail stingray is generally not aggressive toward humans and would rather swim away than use its weapon. 

Bony Fish

There are hundreds of bony fish species found in the temperate waters of Cape Town. I just included my three favourites, which are all quite awkward and unique in their own way. To see some more common fish, check out this blog post on the 20 common bony fish of False Bay and how to ID them.

Red roman

The red roman is a vibrant and colourful fish found in the rocky reefs and kelp forests around Cape Town. This fish has a distinctive red body with white spots and is often sought after by anglers for its delicious flesh. But the red roman is also an important predator in the marine ecosystem, feeding on various small fish and invertebrates. One of its unique features is its sharp teeth, which it uses to crush the hard shells of crustaceans and molluscs. 

These fish are listed as ‘orange’ on the WWF SASSI endangered fish list. It’s better to think twice before purchasing a red roman at your local market. 

Considering that 94% of all global commercial species are either overfished or full fished – we need a “whole society” approach to shift the needle on seafood sustainability. Every fish is important especially the one on your plate, so you have a choice, make it green!”

– Pavitray Pillay, Environmental Behaviour Change Practitioner & WWF-SASSI Manager

Galjoen

Image by Two Oceans Aquarium

The galjoen is a tough and adaptable fish well-suited to the South African coast’s rocky shoreline and turbulent waters. This fish is not only an important food source for coastal communities, but it is also a cultural icon — it was officially declared South Africa’s national fish in 2010. One of its most distinctive features is the ability to change colour depending on its surroundings, which helps it blend in with the rocky reef environment. 

Longsnout Pipefish

This small and delicate fish, measuring only up to 20cm in length, possesses a long, thin snout perfect for hunting small crustaceans and invertebrates. It’s often mistaken for a seahorse due to its similar appearance, but it has a much slimmer body and a straighter posture than a seahorse.

As with seahorses, it’s the male longsnout pipefish that carries and incubates the eggs until they hatch. However, unlike seahorses, they do not have a pouch, instead, they use their tail to wrap around the eggs to protect and nurture them. One of the longsnout pipefish’s remarkable features is its ability to change colour and pattern to match its surroundings, providing excellent camouflage that makes it almost invisible to predators and prey.

Mammals

The diversity of large marine mammals in South African waters is remarkable, with over 40 species that depend on our rich coastal and open ocean ecosystems. The seas near Cape Town support the widest diversity, including five species of dolphin and three species of baleen whale, as it is the boundary between the cold Benguela ecosystem and the warmer Agulhas Current. The close continental shelf around Cape Town also means that some deep-water species, like pilot whales, are occasionally seen.

For more information about whale and dolphin research in South Africa, visit Sea Search.

Cape fur seal 

Cape fur seals are a common sight along the coast of Cape Town, and their playful antics and barking calls are a delight to watch and listen to. These intelligent and social animals spend most of their lives in the water, where they are agile and graceful swimmers. 

October and November is the primary breeding season for Cape fur seals, when the massive bulls come ashore on Seal Island and collect harems of about 20 females. The seal population grows to over 74,000 seals over the mating period, including about 20,000 adorable pups. Uniquely, Cape fur seals mate only 6 days after giving birth and fall pregnant 4 months later – a process known as delayed implantation. 

Common dolphin

​​Common dolphins are one of the ocean’s most playful and social animals. They are known for their striking colouration, with a distinct hourglass pattern on their sides and a dark back that fades into a light belly. These dolphins are fast swimmers and often swim alongside boats, showing off their acrobatic skills with somersaults, jumps, and tail slaps. They are also known for their synchronized swimming, often seen in large groups or pods of up to 1000 individuals. Common dolphins feed on various fish and squid. They can be found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including off the coast of Cape Town. 

Humpback whale 

Humpback whales are some of the most fascinating creatures that call the ocean home. These giants are easily identified by their long white flippers, which can measure up to nearly one-third of the entire length of their body. 

Despite their massive size, humpback whales are known as the ocean’s acrobats for their playful activity. They aren’t afraid to breach – jump out of the water completely – or lobtail – slap their tail on the water. Another one of their tricks is to ‘spy hop’, which is when the whale sticks its head out of the water. 

Humpback whales measure around 13.5 m and weigh up to 50 tons. Large super-pods of humpback whales feed off the coast offshore of Cape Town to Yzerfontein on their annual migration from the tropics to Antarctica. These are the largest groups of humpbacks known on Earth. 

Southern Right whale

Image by Tomas Kotouc | Shutterstock

The Southern Right Whale is a majestic creature with a unique mouth feature. Its upper jaw contains 200-270 fine plates that hang downwards and act as a filter for its food, making it a baleen whale. These giants of the deep can measure between 15-17m in length and weigh between 20 and 40 tons.

Every year, from June to November, the Western Cape’s coastline becomes a playground for these whales as they migrate from their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean to the warmer waters of the Atlantic for mating and birthing. Their presence is a fantastic sight, considering the fact that just a century ago, they were driven to the brink of extinction by whaling ships.

Southern Right Whales are known for their elegant acrobatic displays, and the abundance of shallow, protected bays in the area offers the perfect stage for these performances. Whale watchers are often treated to a show of breaching, tail slapping, and spy hopping.

Despite their protected status since 1935, remnants of whaling stations can still be seen along the Western Cape coastline.

Best places to see the Southern Right Whales

• False Bay absolutely teems with whales during the months of August, September and October. While you will undoubtedly be treated to magnificent sightings from anywhere along the coastline, Boyes Drive offers a delightfully elevated view, as does Clarence Drive on the opposite side of the Bay. However, if you want to get a slightly closer view, head out into the water with Simon’s Town Boat Company.

• Hermanus is known as the whale-watching capital of South Africa, offering particularly good land-based viewing from its famous Cliff Path.

• If spotting whale calves is what you’re after, make a beeline for Witsand/Cape Infanta in the southern Cape anytime between July to November. Known as the whale nursery of South Africa, you will get to see moms and babies frolicking in the shallow, protected Bay. If you like your whale watching with a bit of a challenge on the side, be sure to make a booking for De Hoop Nature Reserve’s ever-so-popular five-day Whale Trail.

Dusky dolphin

The dusky dolphin is a small oceanic dolphin found in coastal waters near Cape Town. They are characterized by their distinctive black and grey coloration, reaching a length of 1.8 – 2 meters and weighing between 70 and 100 kg. They are highly social and live in pods of up to 100 individuals, often displaying acrobatic behavior such as leaping, somersaulting and tail-slapping. 

Their diet mainly consists of small fish and squid, and they are known to dive to depths of up to 200 meters in search of prey. Despite being popular for dolphin-watching tourism, the dusky dolphin is currently classified as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN, and their population status is unclear.

Invertebrates

Invertebrates are animals that lack a backbone or vertebral column, and include a vast array of species such as insects, spiders, worms, mollusks, and crustaceans. In fact, they make up the majority of the animal kingdom! Marine invertebrates play important roles in marine ecosystems, serving as food for other animals, providing shelter and habitat, and contributing to nutrient cycling and oceanic productivity.

West Coast rock lobster

The West Coast Rock Lobster, also known as the crayfish, is a beloved delicacy in South Africa. They prefer rocky areas and kelp forests where they can hide and forage for food. These lobsters can grow up to 60cm in length and weigh up to 4kg.

An interesting fact about the West Coast Rock Lobster is that they have been known to walk out of the ocean and onto the shore during harmful red tides caused by an overgrowth of algae. The lobsters are trying to escape the low-oxygen waters and can be seen walking along the beach in search of safer waters.

Krill

You can’t have whales in an article about common marine species without including the key reason these lovable megafauna are present — their food! 

Krill are tiny crustaceans that are essential to the marine food chain. They are found in all of the world’s oceans and are a vital food source for many marine species, including whales, seals, penguins, and fish. These tiny creatures are only a few centimetres long and have transparent bodies with a red, orange or yellow colouration.

Krill feed on phytoplankton and are a critical link between the primary producers and the larger animals that depend on them for survival. Despite their small size, krill exist in massive swarms, and some species can be found in densities of up to 10,000 individuals per cubic meter. Krill are also a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids and are harvested for use in nutritional supplements and animal feed. 

Common octopus

Imagine having eight arms, nine brains, and blue blood running through your veins. Sounds like a creature from another planet, right? But it’s not. It’s the common octopus, a fascinating and intelligent creature found in the waters around Cape Town. These cephalopods are highly adaptable and can change their colour and texture to blend into their surroundings. 

With the ability to squeeze through incredibly small spaces, the common octopus is a skilled predator, using its powerful beak to break open the shells of its prey. Despite their intelligence, the lifespan of the common octopus is relatively short, with most only living one or two years. 

Common cuttlefish

Like their cephalopod cousins, the common cuttlefish can change their colour and texture. Their soft, elongated body is supported by a unique internal shell called a cuttlebone, often washed up on the beach. They have eight arms with two rows of suckers and two longer tentacles for capturing prey. Cuttlefish have three hearts and blue-green blood, making them even more intriguing. These intelligent creatures have a complex nervous system, including a central brain and a second brain surrounding their oesophagus.

Nudibranchs

Cape Town is home to some of the world’s most stunning nudibranchs, including the Doris, Chromodoris, and Flabellina species. These colourful sea slugs can be found in the shallow waters of kelp forests and rocky reefs, where they prey on small invertebrates. Nudibranchs are known for their striking colours and unique shapes, with some species sporting ornate frills and others resembling flattened worms. 

Despite their delicate appearance, they possess a potent defence mechanism – many species store toxins in their bodies, making them unpalatable to predators. Interestingly, nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs.

They range in size from just a few millimetres to a few centimetres. Over 220 species of nudibranchs have been described in Cape Town, with new species still being discovered.

Sea urchins

With their round, spiky shells and long, tube-like feet, the Cape urchin is unmistakable in appearance. Unlike some other types of sea urchins, those found in Cape Town are not poisonous to humans and are actually considered a delicacy in some cultures (you might have heard of ‘uni’). 

They play an essential role in the ocean’s ecosystem as they feed on algae, while their waste promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms that recycle nutrients, keeping the underwater environment healthy. 

Abalone

The abalone is a marine mollusk found in oceans all over the world. Its shell is known for its beautiful iridescence, with colors ranging from deep blues and greens to pinks and purples. Abalone meat is a delicacy in many cuisines, and its shell is often used in jewelry and decorative arts.

Despite their popularity, abalones are facing a serious threat due to overfishing and poaching. In many areas, abalones have been harvested to the point of near extinction, and illegal poaching continues to be a major problem.

Poachers illegally harvest abalone from the wild, often using dangerous and destructive methods that can damage the surrounding habitat and harm other marine life. Poaching also puts a tremendous strain on already endangered populations, making it even more difficult for them to recover.

The demand for abalone is driven largely by the Asian market, where it is considered a delicacy and is often used in traditional medicine. Unfortunately, this demand has led to the overexploitation of abalone populations, and many species are now on the brink of extinction. For this reason, it is important that we do not contribute to the problem by consuming abalone or supporting the illegal trade in any way.

Abalone farming can be a sustainable and environmentally responsible way to enjoy this delicious seafood delicacy without contributing to the poaching crisis. By choosing to support abalone farms, you can help protect wild abalone populations and promote sustainable aquaculture practices. Not only does this help to conserve the species, but it also provides a source of income and employment for many communities. 

Sea stars

While there are many other sea star species in these waters, I’ve chosen to focus on this particular one because of its striking appearance and ecological importance. The African spiny sea star is a true beauty with its long, spiky arms and vibrant colouration. But it’s not just a pretty sight – it plays a crucial role in keeping our marine environment healthy and thriving.

The African spiny sea star is a voracious predator (our only carnivorous sea star), feeding on various small marine animals such as molluscs, crustaceans, and other sea stars. By controlling the population of these prey species, the African spiny sea star helps maintain a balanced ecosystem in which no species becomes too dominant.

Corals

Corals are pretty… amazing. Most South Africans are familiar with the beautiful coral reefs in northern KwaZulu-Natal. In the warm light-infused water of the Indian Ocean, these sunlight-powered communities support an incredible diversity of fishes and a thriving scuba diving industry that is a key aspect of South Africa’s marine tourism economy.

Further South, there are coral reefs thriving in the cold, crispy waters of the Cape. These include a variety of hard corals, such as the blue coral (Heliopora coerulea) and the star coral (Stephanocoenia intersepta). Soft corals, also known as octocorals, are more abundant, with species such as the sea fans (Eunicella spp.) and sea pens (Pennatula spp.) being commonly found in the area.

I highlighted my favourite, the false coral (Alcyonium coralloides). Despite the challenges of rising ocean temperatures and bleaching events, sea fans in Cape Town have shown remarkable resilience. They are a testament to the hardiness of these creatures. Sea fans may be fans of the ocean, but they’re also the ocean’s biggest fans! These delicate and intricate structures provide important habitats for small fish and invertebrates. 

Explore the Cape’s marine wildlife

Cape Town is a treasure trove of marine biodiversity. From majestic whales and playful seals to colourful fish and intricate invertebrates, the ocean here is a wonderland waiting to be explored. While we have only highlighted 20 of the most common species, there are countless other marine creatures to discover in the waters around Cape Town.

If you want to explore the marine life of Cape Town, there are many ways to do so. Freediving, snorkelling, and scuba diving are all great options, depending on your comfort level and experience. For those new to the underwater world, we recommend starting with snorkelling or booking a guided dive with a reputable dive center.

Some of the most popular dive centers in Cape Town include:

• Capensis Diving
• Pisces Divers 
• Dive Team
• Oceans Africa

These centers offer a range of courses, guided dives, and equipment rentals to help you get started on your underwater adventure.

However, it’s important to remember that while the ocean is a source of beauty and wonder, it’s also a fragile ecosystem that needs our protection. To help preserve the marine life of Cape Town, we encourage you to support sustainable tourism practices and do your part in reducing your impact on the ocean. This may look like saying NO to single-use plastic, opting to walk, cycle or use public transport over driving or even something as small as turning light off behind you. Every bit counts!

So grab your wetsuit and dive into the fascinating world of Cape Town’s marine life – you never know what incredible creatures you might encounter beneath the waves.

About the author

My name is Danel Wentzel. I am a marine biologist, wildlife TV presenter, and aspiring underwater filmmaker. I work in various freelance spaces, including social media consulting for the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Education Centre. With a passion for ocean conservation and exploration, I use my expertise to educate others about the importance of protecting marine life. You can follow my adventures on Instagram at @mermaid_danii

The post Guide to Cape Town’s local marine life appeared first on Wander Cape Town.

While the UN Decade project is ambitious in its global scope, each individual action that contributes to restoring degraded ecosystems, no matter how small, plays an important part in achieving this vision. This article highlights some of the restoration sites across the biodiverse city of Cape Town, all of which are open to the public to visit and to volunteer with.

The uniqueness of Cape Town’s biodiversity

Cape Town is one of the most biodiverse cities in the world, meaning it has a very high number of plant and animal species for an urban area. This is largely a result of the city being located near the centre of the Cape Floristic Region, one of only six floral kingdoms in the world. 

There are around 3 400 indigenous plant species within the city limits. This figure is often quoted in relation to the UK, which has about 1 200 plant species, but even compared to other diverse cities, Cape Town is remarkable. The city also hosts approximately 370 bird, 100 mammal and 104 reptile and amphibian species. 

An important aspect of biodiversity is endemism, which refers to organisms that occur only in one area and nowhere else. Endemic species are often the focus of conservation projects, because they are more vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation by virtue of their limited ranges. Of the 3 400 indigenous plants, around 190 are found nowhere else but the city of Cape Town. If they are lost within Cape Town, they are lost in the wild forever. 

Unfortunately, dozens of species of plants and animals of Cape Town have already faced such extinction, and the Cape provinces have one of the highest plant extinction rates in the world. Other species would likely have also disappeared if not for one of the important methods used by conservationists – ecosystem restoration.

Erica pyramidalis var. pyramidalis, a Cape Flats endemic Erica species last seen in 1907. Photo uploaded to iNaturalist by Tony Rebelo. 

Ecosystem restoration in Cape Town

The ultimate goal of ecosystem restoration is to re-establish ecological processes that have been lost. It is not always possible to return a habitat to its original, pre-modern state, because many of the factors that were once present are now gone. 

For example, the herbivores that previously roamed the Cape peninsula are now mostly absent, such as quagga, hippos and large antelope. In a similar vein, wildfires are now quickly extinguished because they pose threats to properties and life. 

In some areas it is possible to closely mimic these past processes, but in others it is not. Different areas therefore require different restoration objectives.

Lowland Fynbos at Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area gives us insight into how the vegetation of the Cape Flats looked before development. Photo from KRCA Facebook Page.

How do we restore ecosystems?

In general, the process of restoration involves re-introducing indigenous plant species that have disappeared from an area or whose populations have significantly declined. In Fynbos habitats, this is accompanied by controlling alien plant invasions, and conducting prescribed burn cycles. The hope is that the system will then become self-sustaining, in the sense that indigenous plants will successfully produce seeds and seedlings, and native animals will utilise these areas. 

In the Cape, ongoing maintenance and management will always be required to manage invasive species being transported from outside, so restored areas here can never be 100% self-regulating. 

The scientific field of ecological restoration is relatively young, and much pioneering research has taken place in restored nature reserves around Cape Town. This has included determining which species to reintroduce, growing these plants in nurseries, maximising their survival once planted, controlling ongoing plant invasion, and managing fire in an urban context. 

Fortunately, there are relatively good records created by botanists from previous generations that allow us to reconstruct ecosystems of the past, and to decide on which species to reintroduce in which areas.

The process of restoration in Cape lowlands Fynbos. From Guidelines for Restoring Lowland Sand Fynbos Ecosystems by Holmes et al., 2022.

The best practices of restoration are still being worked out, but there is no doubt that ecosystem restoration is vital to the survival of many of Cape Town’s endemic plant and animal species. Restoration counteracts the ongoing expansion of human development into natural areas and the constant introduction of new invasive species. It is also important for Cape Town’s natural and cultural heritage, air and water quality, and mental wellbeing of its people. 

Want to get more hands-on? Read our beginner’s guide to fynbos and indigenous gardening!

Sites of ecosystem restoration

Fortunately, the city has numerous successful restoration projects under its belt, all of which provide rewarding days out for those who want to see some of Cape Town’s most threatened flora and fauna.

Princess Vlei

Princess Vlei, near Grassy Park and Retreat in the southern suburbs, is one of the flagship restoration projects of the Cape Flats. This degraded wetland habitat was neglected for decades, despite its cultural significance and importance as a breeding site for the endangered Western Leopard Toad. 

The significance of the vlei to its neighbouring communities was such that the community-run Princess Vlei Forum rallied to prevent the construction of a mall on its banks in 2014.

Princess Vlei before and after ecosystem restoration. Many indigenous Fynbos species have replaced the invasive grasses and weeds. Photos by Alex Lansdowne.

Beginning in 2018, the Princess Vlei Restoration Project has been active in reintroducing indigenous Fynbos species to the wetland area. The project will run until 2024, and the Princess Vlei Forum has organised several community- and volunteer-led mass planting events. There has also been a strong emphasis on education and ensuring local, impoverished communities feel a sense of ownership and stewardship for the land. It has been a successful collaboration between community non-profits, city government and the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

The Princess Vlei Restoration Project aims to restore three threatened vegetation types: Cape Lowlands Freshwater Wetlands (endangered), Cape Flats Dune Strandveld (endangered) and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (critically endangered). Two particularly threatened plant species endemic to the Cape peninsula to be enjoyed here are the extinct in the wild Erica verticillata (whorled heath) and critically endangered Serruria foeniculacea (Rondevlei spiderhead). The vlei also attracts many native birds, and is home to numerous species of frogs and toads.

Serruria foeniculacea (Rondevlei spiderhead). Photo by iNaturalist user botanicexpedition2019nl-saf

More detailed information about the restoration process at Princess Vlei is available on the Society for Ecological Restoration website, including the various non-profit organisations involved and the management objectives, interventions and timelines. To volunteer at events see the Princess Vlei Forum.

Blaauwberg Nature Reserve

For those wanting to explore Fynbos restoration in the northern parts of Cape Town, the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve is an excellent choice. This is another reserve hosting the critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos vegetation type, which occurs on highly acidic, sandy soils in the flatter regions of the Cape peninsula. 

Until recently, the land was covered by impenetrable thickets of the invasive Australian Port Jackson tree, Acacia saligna. It is one of the most aggressive and hard-to-remove invasive species in the Fynbos, as it is adapted to the nutrient-poor soils of the Cape and grows faster than native species, quickly outcompeting them for sunlight. Clearing the Port Jacksons and other invasives therefore required, and will continue to require, the hard labour of many volunteers and workers. 

Extensive scientific research in this reserve conducted by professors and post-graduate students at Stellenbosch University has also improved our overall understanding of best practices for restoration of lowland Fynbos in the Cape, including the importance of fire and treatment of seeds prior to planting.

Pristine Fynbos in the foreground and invaded Fynbos in the background in the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve prior to restoration. Photo by Stuart Hall.

The reserve also provides a chance to see Swartland Shale Renosterveld vegetation. Renosterveld is a type of Fynbos occurring on relatively richer soils. The nutrients of these soils make it attractive to farmers, meaning much of this vegetation type has been lost to agriculture. Only 3% of its historic extent remains.

A view of Table Mountain from Blaauwberg Nature Reserve. Photo from Friends of Blauuwberg Conservation Area website.

Blaauwberg Nature Reserve offers unique views of Table Mountain and Robben Island, and over 600 plant species. A full list of the flora, organised by month, can be downloaded from the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area website. 

While the reserve has restored vegetation to enjoy throughout the year, the months of Spring are particularly rewarding to flower lovers. The reserve is at the southern end of the growing range for numerous West Coast plant species, making it a good stop for wildflower day trips up this coast. 

Lower Tokai Park

I referred to Tokai Park in my last article on plant conservation in Cape Town, but it is equally relevant to the field of restoration. 

Broadly speaking, ecological restoration can be split into active and passive restoration. Passive restoration involves removing the causes of degradation to a habitat as far as possible – such as removing invasive species, controlling pollution and limiting human disturbance – and allowing the native vegetation to recover by itself. This is possible when enough native plant seeds remain in the soil, or there are nearby natural areas that allow native plants to re-establish themselves in the restored area over time. 

Active restoration involves the physical growing and planting of species that are no longer found in the restoration area, or that have diminished in number. Because Tokai was used as a pine plantation for over a century, many species had disappeared from the soil seedbank and thus required some active restoration. Fire-dependent species in particular were missing, as many of these species store their seeds in a cone until a fire occurs. For other species, however, passive restoration was sufficient as their seeds had survived in the soil under the pines.

Restored Fynbos in Lower Tokai Park, with the east side of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak visible in the background. Photo by Tim Kirsten.

The restoration at Lower Tokai Park is ongoing, with several dozen individuals of threatened species being planted in June 2022. The park hosts wetland, Peninsula Granite Fynbos and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos vegetation, providing habitat for a variety of bird, reptile, amphibian and insect species. The area is also frequented by a troop of Chacma baboons.

Friends of Tokai Park IUCN SOS interns planting threatened species at a wetland in Lower Tokai Park in 2022. The primary goal of this project was to restore breeding habitat for the Western Leopard Toad. Photo by Friends of Tokai Park.

A highlight of this park is the ‘restoration trail’ along Orpen Road. Here you can find critically endangered species such as Leucadendron levisanus (Cape Flats conebush) and Serruria trilopha (trident spiderhead), among others.

Critically endangered Cape Flats conebush (Leucadendron levisanus). One of numerous species reintroduced and growing in the wild at Lower Tokai Park. Photo by Tony Rebelo.

Trident spiderhead (Serruria trilopha), a critically endangered species of the Protea family reintroduced at Lower Tokai Park. Photo by Richard Adcock.

More restoration sites

Princess Vlei, Blaauwberg Nature Reserve and Lower Tokai Park are just three examples of places in Cape Town to view the results of ecological restoration. Other sites where some level of restoration has taken place include:

FynbosLIFE Veld Circles

These are gardens in Plumstead, Constantia, Newlands and Muizenberg. They are designed to “showcase locally indigenous wild plants of medicinal, edible, biodiversity and/or horticultural value that are specific to the original veld type of the site”. 

Grootboschkloof and Soetvlei greenbelts, Constantia. 

Endangered wetland species Psoralea fascicularis has been grown at the FynbosLIFE nursery and reintroduced to these wetlands. 

Liesbeek river, Rosebank

Over 1500 river palmiet (Prionium serratum) seedlings were planted along the banks of the Liesbeek as part of an experiment to return the river from a canal to a functioning riverine ecosystem.

Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area, Kenilworth

There has  been active planting of threatened species in the more degraded parts of the conservation area, especially on the peripheral areas. Seeds are harvested in the park and then grown in an on-site nursery before being planted when the area has been cleared of invasives. 

Ottery Field, Ottery

The small team at Friends of Ottery Field have been hard at work over the last several years removing thousands of invasive alien plants, particularly Port Jackson wattles. The field is a mix of wetland and lowland Fynbos habitats, and several species grown at FynbosLIFE have been reintroduced to the field.

Rondebosch Common, Rondebosch

Ecological restoration activities have involved the controlling of invasive alien plants, as well as the reintroduction of the Critically Endangered Peacock Moraea (Moraea aristata), which was formerly only known from one population in Observatory, and the Critically Endangered Strawberry Spiderhead (Serruria aemula var. aemula) from the Epping Conservation Area.

Upper Tokai Park, Constantiaberg mountain slopes, Tokai

Extensive clearing of invasive alien vegetation by volunteers, Working for Water employees and IUCN SOS interns provided the opportunity to reintroduce threatened or missing plant species to the lower slopes of the Constantiaberg mountains, which were until 2015 used as pine tree plantations. The main objective of this project was to restore breeding habitat for the Endangered Western Leopard Toad.

The importance of lowland Fynbos restoration

You may have noticed that all these reserves are located on the flatter areas of the Cape peninsula. This is because much of the mountains around Cape Town are relatively undeveloped, and the Fynbos vegetation types in these areas are mostly intact. By contrast, the lowlands of the Cape have been the sites of human activity for centuries, being used for farming, housing and industry. Rivers and wetlands have been re-routed, polluted or drained. The lowlands have therefore been the most damaged, and are in need of ecological restoration where it is possible. 

While hiking the mountains of Cape Town provides some of the most scenic vistas in the country, there is a different kind of beauty to be found in these lowland restoration sites. One can look up at the mountains and marvel at them from a different angle. The plant and animal species on the flats are also slightly different to their mountain counterparts. The deep sands underfoot give an idea of how difficult the Cape Flats must have been to traverse for previous generations, before tarred roads and cars. 

I encourage you to explore your nearest site of restoration and discover similar insights into the past of the Cape peninsula, and reflect on how it has changed and continues to evolve. Despite all the environmental and social challenges facing the city, the hard work of restoration practitioners gives reason for hope. 

View of restored Fynbos at Lower Tokai Park on an old pine plantation site. Photo by Tim Kirsten.

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Somewhere at the tip of Africa, there is a delightful place, a place where two oceans meet. Where the warm, powerful waters of the east coast meets the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the west. A place where the mixing of waters creates a magical, melting pot of oceanic conditions and marine life to behold.

Where exactly is this place, you may ask? Well, the exact location appears to be controversial and perhaps ever-shifting between Cape Point, along the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town, and Cape Agulhas — known as the Southernmost tip of Africa. 

If we look at the marine life, both plants and animals, we see a unique and diverse community along the Cape Peninsula that encompasses parts of both the east (or rather south) and west coasts. Therefore, although many sources indicate that the two oceans meet at Cape Agulhas, when we look at the patterns in animal and plant life, we really see a difference at the tip of the Cape Peninsula.

What happens at the meeting of the oceans?

Along the west coast of South Africa, there are cold, nutrient-rich waters due to a phenomenon known as upwelling. Deep, cold waters are brought up by the Benguela current in the Atlantic Ocean, heading northwards and delivering rich nutrients to the coastline. This influx of nutrients provides food for plants at the surface and with increased plant life, there is abundant food for animals. This is one of the reasons why fish stocks are more abundant on the west coast compared to the east coast. But while the west coast is known to be a highly productive coastline, we tend to find fewer species there. 

Contrastingly, the east coast is more diverse. There are many species but not much productivity compared to the west coast. 

Along the east coast, there is a powerful current known as the Agulhas current, in the Indian Ocean, that delivers warm, tropical waters in a southerly direction along the coast. While the water is mostly warm, there are some areas of upwelling along the east coast where cells of colder, nutrient-filled waters occur. Due to the tropical nature of the east coast, there are many colourful species that are vastly different to those found along the west coast, such as corals and tropical fish.

How the meeting of the oceans impacts marine life

So as you can imagine, where the waters of these two currents meet, we have a remarkable mixture of oceanic conditions and therefore, life. Together, the two currents form unique conditions where we find many range-restricted species along the rocky shores and even within the coastal waters, partly due to the living conditions found there.

Further, the region between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas is an important breeding ground for several fish, shark and whale species. This mixed oceanic region therefore offers an important nursery area for some animals, and at certain times of the year species such as the Southern Right whale migrate to this region to give birth to their young. 

Although we cannot see where the oceans meet with the naked eye, we can look towards the patterns we see in the life that occurs there, as well as the physical oceanic conditions and how this influences what is able to live there. When we do this, we find the most interesting patterns, continuously revealing the extraordinary qualities of the ocean.

Image by Callum Evans

About the author:

Koebraa is a marine biologist who grew up on the Cape Flats. Her love for the ocean was instilled by her dad, through frequent visits to the beach, exploring the rocky and sandy shores. 

Today she gets to live her dream by working in and for the ocean. She also gets to teach others about the sea in her role as a Marine Science Lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and works on marine bioinvasions as part of her research. 

Want to know more about Cape Town’s oceans?

Our unique marine biosphere is one of the focuses of the local knowledge project, so watch this space! In the meantime, you can read:

Where to go freediving and snorkelling in Cape Town

Getting to know the kelp forests of Cape Town

Interview with local underwater photographer, Helen Walne

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Cape Town: the Mother of South Africa. We all know (and love, don’t get me wrong) the white, bosomy sands of Clifton 1st through 4th, the promenade and electric scooters of Seapoint. But many of us have exhausted these haunts (and our wallets) over the years. But never fear: the city has so much more to offer – should you be willing to drive to Muizenberg and then onto the Great Unknown. I’m talking Simonstown, Kommetjie, Scarborough, and – of course – Kalk Bay. 

Here, I’ve gathered alternatives to the treasured-but-slightly-tired attractions – whether you’re a tourist or even a born-and-bred Capetonian! Because there is so much on offer, and you just need to know the answer to the question of where to look. And the answer is here. The answer is the Deep South.

Take a coastal drive

Legend has it that along the outer edges of the Southern Peninsula there winds a road so beautiful it’s actually illegal to not stop and take photos. And no, I’m not talking about Chapman’s Peak Drive. I’m talking about Misty Cliffs: a breathtaking section of M65 between Witsands Beach and Scarborough, painted a hundred shades of blue by the sea and sky.

Nobody is denying the majesty of Chapman’s; I would never commit such a heinous transgression. But if you’re looking for the same calibre of views – minus the crowds – why not take a Sunday-afternoon-speed trip to Mistys?

Watch the sunet

At some point, Cape Town decided to declare Signal Hill the Designated Sundowners Spot () for the whole city. And somehow, I missed this memo. But, truth be told, I am not even upset, because I am quite happy with my current Sundowners Spot, thank you very much. Let me introduce you to Slangkop Lighthouse – the place that kept me in ignorant bliss.

And bliss is quite honestly the perfect descriptor. I find in crowded places, there is always someone blasting the worst music you’ve ever heard (I’m looking at you Signal Hill goers). At Slangkop, the track of choice is ambient waves against rocks. Your guests will probably consist solely of oystercatchers, anyone you choose to invite and, of course, the lonely lighthouse; it’ll be glad for the company. 

Brave the cold for tidal pool swims

Cold water immersions have been one of the biggest trends to come out of 2022. And for good reason! Icy water has many a research-backed health benefit. But why blindly follow science when you can actually test it out for yourself? The Deep South has a veritable smorgasbord of chilly tidal pools on offer in which you can conduct your experiments. 

One of the most popular is Dalebrooke, sandwiched between the Kalk Bay train tracks and the Indian Ocean. From dawn to dusk, the swimming-costume-sporting legions splash about as one. And as they all bob together, a sense of community is tangible. You’re welcome whether it’s your 1st swim or your 999th. The best part is a post-swim coffee can be ready and waiting for you, courtesy of Dalebrooke Cafe, if you order it beforehand with one of the friendly servers that they have stationed there. It’ll warm you right up and you can pop off to work, simple as that!

Enjoy sweet treats at a charming cafe

If you’re ever Cape Point side and need something sweet, man, do I have the place for you! A few turn-offs after the ostrich farm, there you have it: the Scone Shack – home of the best wood-fired scones you’ll ever have.

Never did a little tea shop have more personality. The menu? A choice between approximately 5 dessert-type items (they play to their strengths). The crockery? So mismatched it ends up going together perfectly. Scone-hungry ducks? Present. In a word: quirky, but in the most endearing way possible.

Visit a local goods market

Something I do love about the CBD is the proximity to all the wonderful markets on offer in the Mother City. Whether you’re on the hunt for organic vegetables or second-hand clothes, chances are you can find it at Oranjezicht or Mojo or the Old Biscuit Mill.

But you could also find it at the Blue Bird Garage Food and Goods Market in Muizenberg. Every Thursday and Friday evening, this brightly-coloured building becomes The Place for you to be. Families, couples and groups of friends arrive en masse – called by the sense of community and the smell of Debbie Hermann’s samosas. There is an unmistakable atmosphere of camaraderie and a down to earth-ness that makes you immediately feel as if you’re right where you belong.

Wine and dine

Cape Town is abundant in many things: beaches, cyclists and vegans to name a few. And another thing that it’s certainly not lacking is contestants to win the unofficial title of Best Health Food Cafe. And in the constant “anything you can do, I can do at least as well, if not better” shtick that the Deep South has, we’ve got our very own contestants here too. 

My favourite – Blended – lies in the EAT. SURF. YOGA lifestyle centre, just next to Glencairn Beach. Started as a passion project by two locals, the restaurant has gone on to develop quite the cult following. And it is easy to understand why. Their sustainability-focused, plant-based ethos attracts the more environmentally-conscious among us. Their delicious food attracts everyone else. And just like that, they’ve turned the entire planet into a prospective customer.

Relax at the beach

We know Clifton. We love Clifton. 1,2,3 and 4 – they’re all great. But, they’re also constantly busy – especially now going into the festive season. And I don’t know about you, but a busy beach is my least favourite type of beach.

So, in case you should be of the same persuasion, allow me to suggest an alternative: Water’s Edge Beach, Simon’s Town. This used to be the area’s best-kept secret, but with the advent of Influencers, they are constantly “discovering” this beach and telling the whole world about it. That being said, it is still far less busy than the household-name CT sand stretches. And because it is on the Indian Ocean side of the peninsula, the waters also run a tad warmer than the likes of Clifton and Llandudno. So, escape the December Beach Bustle without compromising on views. Top tip: take along your goggles and a snorkel. This stretch of coast is unparalleled when it comes to underwater exploring.

Hunt for treasures at the thrift shop

Observatory is the Cape Town Thrift capital. But, because of this, prices are high and good items get snapped up quickly. In the Deep South, we have our fair share of little, corner charity shops to which little old ladies religiously donate their funky pieces. The best part? You’ll be hard-pressed to find a price tag over R50. 

Honourable mentions go to the Fish Hoek branch of St Luke’s Hospice and the Tears Charity shop in Kalk Bay, but the vintage clothing victor of the area has got to be Rummage Co-Op. Located at the quaint Imhoff Farm, Rummage emulates its surroundings: earthy, vibrant, and teeming with bucket-loads of personality.The shop is continuously stocked with beautiful, one-off pieces that’d fit right into the Obs Lower Main Road second-hand stores. In fact, it’ll be a struggle to go there and not find something worth falling in love with. Quality (and charm) guaranteed.

Last thoughts

So, there we have it. 8 alternatives to your classic Cape Town pastimes. Whether you’re looking to laze on the beach, hit up the second-hand scene or enjoy a less-busy bite to eat, this list has got your festive season covered. Fall back in love with our Mother City, sans the Christmas busyness. 

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