Are you passionate about community development, sustainability, and creating meaningful environmental and social impact? WESSA is seeking a skilled and results-driven Project Manager: Socio-Economic Development (SED) to support the implementation and management of community-based socio-economic and environmental programmes in the Western Cape and Northern Cape.
This role focuses on supporting the development of community Eco Hubs, sustainable agriculture initiatives, food security programmes, and livelihood projects that empower communities while contributing to long-term environmental sustainability.
The successful candidate will coordinate and oversee project implementation across multiple sites, manage stakeholder engagement, and support monitoring, reporting, and donor compliance processes. Working closely with municipalities, communities, NGOs, funders and strategic partners, the role will help strengthen WESSA’s impact through practical, community-driven initiatives.
This is a hands-on role suited to someone with strong project management and stakeholder engagement skills, who is comfortable managing multiple projects, building partnerships, and working closely with communities.
The position is ideal for someone who is passionate about sustainable development and enjoys working in dynamic, impact-driven environments that combine environmental and socio-economic outcomes.
The individual will be based at WESSA’s Cape Town office in Bellville, with frequent travel to other areas including the Central Karoo.
Are you organised, community-driven, and passionate about supporting projects that create meaningful social and environmental impact? WESSA is seeking a reliable and proactive Project Coordinator: Socio-Economic Development (SED) to support the coordination and implementation of community-based socio-economic and environmental programmes across the Western Cape and Northern Cape.
This role focuses on providing essential coordination, administrative, and logistical support to projects linked to community Eco Hubs, sustainable agriculture initiatives, and livelihood programmes operating across multiple sites.
The successful candidate will support project implementation, stakeholder engagement, logistics coordination, reporting, and day-to-day operational activities. Working closely with communities, municipalities, NGOs and project partners, the role will help ensure projects are effectively coordinated and supported on the ground.
This position is well suited to someone with strong organisational and administrative skills, who enjoys working in dynamic, community-focused environments and is passionate about sustainable agriculture and environmental impact.
The role also requires strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including professional proficiency in both Afrikaans and English, due to regular engagement with Afrikaans-speaking communities and stakeholders.
This is a remote role, with the successful candidate based in Laingsburg, Central Karoo, with travel to other project areas as required.
Pictured above: Partners visiting the Westview food garden
The Eastern Cape Department of Education, in partnership with WESSA and key stakeholders, has officially launched the Nelson Mandela Bay District Food Garden Revival Programme, an initiative that will support 53 schools across the district to establish learner-led, sustainable market food gardens.
The launch event, hosted at Westview Special School in Gqeberha, brought together partners including WESSA, Giving Them Wings, Pick n Pay, Mandela Bay Development Agency and the Department of Agriculture, with the Eastern Cape Department of Education leading the programme.
Pictured above: Group photo including all stakeholders, educators and learners
The initiative is designed to strengthen food security, environmental learning and practical agricultural skills in schools, while helping learners understand the important connection between healthy soil, nutritious food, climate-smart agriculture and resilient communities.
Growing more than food
Pictured above: Learners from Ben Nyathi Primary School performing a play on food security
Through the programme, participating schools will be supported to establish and maintain sustainable food gardens that can contribute to school nutrition programmes and, where possible, allow schools to share harvests with their surrounding communities.
The gardens will also serve as outdoor learning spaces where learners can gain hands-on experience in food production, environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship, teamwork and self-reliance.
Delivering the keynote address, Mrs Gxuluwe, Director of the National School Nutrition Programme, highlighted the transformative role of school gardens in education and nutrition.
“A school garden is not merely a piece of cultivated land. It is a classroom without walls. It is a source of dignity, hope, empowerment, and learning. It teaches our learners responsibility, teamwork, environmental awareness, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. Most importantly, it contributes directly to improving the quality and nutritional value of meals served to our children daily,” she said.
Supporting schools to build sustainable food systems
Pictured above: Nomfundo Ndlovu giving words of encouragement and the importance of this initiative. Planting session at Westview Special School
As communities continue to face rising food insecurity and climate-related challenges, the programme places schools at the centre of practical, local solutions.
WESSA Senior Programme Manager, Nomfundo Ndlovu, said the Food Garden Revival Project reflects the important role schools can play in building long-term community resilience.
“As WESSA celebrates 100 years of environmental education and sustainability action, programmes such as the Food Garden Revival Project remind us that schools are powerful centres of change. By supporting learners to grow food sustainably, rebuild soil health, and care for the environment, we are not only addressing food insecurity, but also empowering a new generation with the skills, knowledge, and resilience needed to build healthier and more sustainable communities,” said Ndlovu.
From garden revival to community resilience
The programme will continue to support participating schools through the provision of seedlings, seeds, soil rehabilitation support, environmental education, climate-smart agriculture training and ongoing mentorship.
The long-term vision is to build thriving, productive school gardens that contribute to nutrition, environmental awareness, entrepreneurship and community resilience across the Nelson Mandela Bay district.
Through this partnership, WESSA and its partners are helping schools turn food gardens into living classrooms – spaces where learners can grow knowledge, grow food and grow hope for a more sustainable future.
Pictured above: (left) Alyssa Govenden (12yrs) Crawford International Lonehill in Gauteng, and (right) Palesa Mosegedi (13yrs) Segwaneng Primary School in the Northern Cape.
WESSA is proud to announce the national winners of the 2026 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) Competition, celebrating two young South African storytellers who used journalism, photography and audio storytelling to explore this year’s international theme: Food Security and Climate Change.
This year’s winning entries highlight how young people are making the connection between food security, climate action, responsible consumption and community resilience — and how powerful storytelling can inspire practical action in schools and communities.
Meet the 2026 national winners
Podcast Category Winner: Alyssa Govenden
Alyssa Govenden, aged 12, from Crawford International Lonehill in Gauteng, was named the national winner in the podcast category for her entry, Wasting Food Ruins the Mood.
Alyssa’s winning podcast places the issue of food waste at the centre of the climate and food security conversation. Through her audio story, she encourages listeners to think more carefully about the value of food, the effort that goes into producing it, and the impact of throwing food away while many people in South Africa experience hunger.
Her podcast also highlights how climate change affects crops and food production, while rising food prices make access to meals even more difficult for many households. By focusing on simple actions, such as buying only what we need and sharing extra food where appropriate, Alyssa shows that everyday choices can make a meaningful difference.
As the South African national winner in the podcast category, Alyssa’s entry will represent South Africa in the international YRE competition.
Listen to Alyssa’s winning podcast:
Photography Category Winner: Palesa Mosegedi
Palesa Mosegedi, aged 13, from Segwaneng Primary School in the Northern Cape, was named the national winner in the photography category for her entry, World Food Day celebrated at Segwaneng Primary School.
Her winning photograph captures learners proudly harvesting vegetables from their school food garden. The image stood out for its joy, authenticity and powerful storytelling, highlighting the strong connection between food security, climate action and environmental education.
Through one image, Palesa tells a hopeful story of young people actively participating in sustainable food production within their school community. Her photograph shows how school gardens can become spaces of learning, nutrition, resilience and empowerment.
As the South African national winner in the photography category, Palesa’s entry will also represent South Africa in the international YRE competition.
Pictured above: World Food Day celebrated at Segwaneng Primary School by Palesa Mosegedi
Why these entries stood out
The winning entries responded strongly to the theme of Food Security and Climate Change, showing how young people can observe environmental issues in their own communities and communicate them in ways that are practical, relatable and solutions focused.
“This year’s winning entries beautifully reflect the heart of the YRE programme: young people using journalism to investigate real environmental issues and inspire practical action. Through a podcast on food waste and a photograph capturing learners harvesting from a school garden, these young reporters have shown that food security and climate action are not distant issues. They are part of everyday life in our schools and communities,” shares Nomfundo Ndlovu, Schools & Youth Senior Programme Manager, WESSA.
Building skills for the future
Through their involvement in YRE, young reporters develop life-long skills including critical thinking, data analysis, teamwork, social responsibility, leadership, writing, editing, videography and photography.
The programme also exposes young people to possible career pathways in environmental law, research, videography, investigative journalism, social justice and related fields.
WESSA congratulates Alyssa Govenden and Palesa Mosegedi on their outstanding national entries and wishes them well as they represent South Africa in the international Young Reporters for the Environment competition.
About Young Reporters for the Environment
The YRE programme gives young people aged 11–25 a platform to investigate local environmental and social issues and report on them in a professional, solutions-focused way. Through articles, photography, video and podcasts, young reporters are encouraged to research, interview, observe and communicate the issues shaping their communities.
At its core, YRE is about more than competition. It is about giving young people the tools, confidence and platform to tell stories that matter.
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) concluded all provincial awards ceremonies for its 2025 Eco Schools programme end of March this year.
More than 430 schools across South Africa have been recognised for their environmental leadership and measurable sustainability action at the WESSA Eco-Schools Awards 2025, marking a powerful national movement driven by education, youth leadership and community impact.
Across eight provinces – including Gauteng (120+ schools), Free State (134 schools), KwaZulu-Natal (46), Western Cape (31), Eastern Cape (31), Northern Cape (29), Limpopo (24) and Mpumalanga (17) – the awards celebrate schools that are transforming environmental awareness into meaningful, on-the-ground action.
(Pictured above: (clockwise from top) Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Northern Cape recipients)
Implemented by WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), the Eco-Schools programme continues to demonstrate how education can drive real-world solutions – from water conservation and waste reduction to biodiversity protection and circular economy initiatives.
WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete positions the Eco-Schools programme within the organisation’s centenary milestone and reinforces its national significance: “In 2026 WESSA celebrates 100 years of citizen action, 100 years of environmental leadership, and 100 years of believing that education is the lever that will make a change in our communities and in our schools. Eco-Schools in South Africa is one of the most impactful environmental education programmes in this country – a teacher movement and a learner-led action campaign.”
Across provinces, a consistent theme emerged: schools are no longer simply learning about sustainability, they are actively shaping it.
(Pictured above: (clockwise from top) Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape and Limpopo recipients)
WESSA Head of Education and Sustainability Kelly Alcock highlights the programme’s outcomes-driven impact: “What makes it powerful is not its scale, it is its measurable change. This is education that moves beyond awareness into action.”
Similarly, WESSA Schools and Youth Senior Programme Manager Nomfundo Ndlovu emphasises the shift from participation to leadership: “When learners are given the tools, space and support to engage with real-world challenges, they don’t just participate, they lead.”
Across the regional award ceremonies, provincial partners and keynote speakers reinforced the broader societal value of environmental education:
In Limpopo, keynote speaker Farina Lindeque from the University of Limpopo highlighted the importance of experiential learning, sharing that, “Environmental education becomes powerful when we design experiences that move learners from noticing to caring to acting.”
In the Eastern Cape, education leader Pumla Gxuluwe reflected on the programme’s long-term impact, reminding us that, “When we invest in young people and the environment together, we are planting the strongest roots for the future.”
In Gauteng, Ms Dululu Hlatshaneni, Deputy Director: Social Cohesion and Equity in Education at the Department of Basic Education, emphasised that, “These achievements reflect leadership, innovation and a shared vision for sustainable development.”
Across provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape, schools demonstrated how local action translates into measurable impact, from recycling thousands of kilograms of waste to restoring ecosystems and driving community-based environmental initiatives.
Several notable award winners across provinces further highlighted schools that have demonstrated exceptional, long-term commitment, innovation and leadership in environmental education:
KwaZulu-Natal
Emerald Award (20 years): Pitlochry Primary School; Shea O’Connor Combined School
Arum Lily Award (22 years): Epworth School; The Birches Pre-Primary School
Gauteng
Platinum 2 Decade (Year 17): Pecanwood College
Free State:
Diamond Award (10 Years Participation): Batjha Primary School (Botshabelo, Mangaung Metro) and Nthuthuzelo Primary School (Bultfontein, Lejweleputswa District)
Western Cape:
Silver Decade Award: Newberry House Montessori School
Platinum 1 Decade Award: Sir Lowry’s Pass Primary School
Platinum 2 Decade Award: Beaumont Primary School
As WESSA marks its centenary year in 2026, the Eco-Schools Awards highlight more than achievement, they reflect a growing national movement where classrooms are becoming hubs of environmental leadership.
As Cloete concludes: “We are not just teaching learners about environmental challenges, we are equipping them to respond with confidence, creativity, and purpose.”
From urban centres to rural communities, these schools collectively demonstrate that the future of environmental sustainability in South Africa is already being shaped – one classroom at a time.
Gallery – links to full Facebook albums for 2025 Eco Schools Awards event
Pictured above: More than 140 committed participants in eMbali, Pietermaritzburg focused on alien invasive plant clearing, the establishment of a sustainable vegetable garden, and a community-wide cleanup
Across KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, April was a powerful reminder that environmental change is not only measured in cleared waste, planted seedlings or restored spaces. It is also measured in the people who show up, take ownership, and work together to build healthier, more resilient communities.
Through WESSA’s work with partners, schools, local residents and young changemakers, communities in Pietermaritzburg and Durban demonstrated what it means to care for the Earth through practical, hands-on action.
Restoring ecosystems and strengthening community pride in eMbali
On 13 April 2026, the community of eMbali in Pietermaritzburg came together for a high-impact environmental action under UNICEF’s Green Rising project, led by WESSA in collaboration with DUCT, Clean My Country, uMngeni-uThukela Water and local residents.
With the support of more than 140 committed participants, the day focused on alien invasive plant clearing, the establishment of a sustainable vegetable garden, and a community-wide cleanup.
The result was more than a cleaner space. The initiative helped restore local ecosystems, strengthen food security, and encourage environmental stewardship. It also highlighted the power of coordinated community action, where local partnerships become the foundation for long-term care of shared spaces.
Growing opportunity through urban agriculture
Pictured above: WESSA Membership and Tri-Eco teams planting vegetable seedlings into repurposed, nutrient rich soil filled sacks)
In the lead-up to Earth Day 2026, WESSA joined forces with WESSA Membership and Tri-Eco on 20 April to support a dedicated local changemaker in Durban’s Albert Park community.
Together, they helped establish a city vegetable garden using a simple but innovative approach: vegetable seedlings planted into repurposed sacks filled with nutrient-rich soil.
Row by row, the sack gardens began to transform the space into a hub of sustainability, creativity and opportunity. Once harvested, the vegetables will be sold within the community, supporting a small local economy while improving access to fresh, locally grown produce.
This is environmental action with a social purpose – turning available space and reused materials into a practical model for food security and community empowerment.
From illegal dumping site to biodiversity garden
Pictured above: A coordinated cleanup, waste removal and creation of a biodiversity garden – Lamontville, Durban)
On 29 April 2026, WESSA partnered with eThekwini Municipality’s Cleansing and Solid Waste Unit and Lamontville community volunteers to rehabilitate an illegal dumping site near an old age home.
The site had become a serious health and environmental concern, with odours and rodent infestations affecting the well-being of elderly residents. Through a coordinated cleanup effort, the waste was removed and the space was transformed into a biodiversity garden.
The intervention restored dignity to the area and created a natural deterrent against future dumping. Most importantly, it showed how environmental care can directly improve people’s daily living conditions, especially for vulnerable members of the community.
People caring for the Earth, one action at a time
From clearing alien invasive plants and creating food gardens, and to restoring dumping sites, these April activities reflect WESSA’s mission in action – Educate.Advocate.Act.
Each initiative shows that when communities, partners and young people work together, environmental action becomes more than a once-off event. It becomes a shared commitment to cleaner spaces, stronger communities and a healthier future.
