Call for Board nominations – Non-Executive Director: Water

Call for Board nominations – Non-Executive Director: Water

Oct 30, 2026 | Vacancy

As WESSA enters its second century, we are seeking an experienced leader to strengthen the strategic governance of WESSA’s work protecting South Africa’s water resources and improving water security and water quality.

The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of South Africa’s water challenges, including water scarcity and variability, declining water quality, ageing infrastructure and water governance at catchment, municipal and national level.

Read the full director profile here.

Experience of, and exposure to, pollution and waste management and the legislation that governs them would also be advantageous.

This is a governance role requiring sound judgement, integrity, accountability, discretion and the ability to challenge constructively.

Previous board or senior leadership experience is strongly preferred, together with an understanding of fiduciary duties and non-profit governance.

The position is voluntary and carries no remuneration.

Applications/nominations to be sent to applications@wessa.co.za

Deadline for applications/nominations: 15h00 SAST, 30 November 2026

Call for Board nominations – Non-Executive Director: Environmental Law

Call for Board nominations – Non-Executive Director: Environmental Law

Oct 30, 2026 | Vacancy

As WESSA enters its second century, we are seeking an experienced environmental law leader to strengthen the strategic governance of the legal standing of WESSA’s work and the environmental law underpinning its advocacy and action.

The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of South African environmental law, including the constitutional environmental right, the National Environmental Management Act and related legislation, as well as environmental authorisation and assessment processes.

Read the full director profile here

Experience in environmental law practice, public interest litigation, regulatory or compliance work, policy advocacy or environmental law scholarship will be particularly valuable. An understanding of the intersections between environmental and social justice is also important.

The position is voluntary and carries no remuneration.

Applications/nominations to be sent to applications@wessa.co.za

Deadline for applications/nominations: 15h00 SAST, 30 November 2026

WESSA Ultra Trail Festival brings trail running, music, and conservation together

WESSA Ultra Trail Festival brings trail running, music, and conservation together

Oct 1, 2026 | Events, News, sticky, Umngeni Valley

On 24 October 2026, the WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve will become the setting for a new celebration of trail running, music, markets, and connection with nature.

What does it look like when conservation becomes something you can experience, move through, and celebrate?

On Saturday, 24 October, the inaugural WESSA Ultra Trail Festival will bring runners, families, and outdoor enthusiasts together at the 900-hectare WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve near Howick for a full day centered on nature, movement, and community.

The festival brings together three interconnected experiences – trail running, music and markets – offering visitors different ways to experience the reserve and celebrate WESSA’s centenary year.

 

A new milestone for trail running in KwaZulu-Natal

At the heart of the festival is the inaugural WESSA Ultra Trail Run, featuring seven distances ranging from 5.85 km to 100 km.

The range of distances offers experienced trail and ultra runners the opportunity to take on a serious challenge, while also creating an entry point for those wanting to experience trail running over a shorter distance.

This year’s event also marks an important milestone for trail running in KwaZulu-Natal, with the festival incorporating the inaugural KZNA Trail and Mountain Running Championship.

Introduced by KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), the championship creates a new platform for provincial competition, talent identification and excellence within the province’s growing trail-running community.

For athletes with ambitions of representing KwaZulu-Natal and potentially South Africa, it also provides a pathway towards provincial colours and the national selection process ahead of South Africa hosting the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in October 2027.

“The WESSA Ultra Festival gives us an opportunity to bring trail running to a much broader audience while creating a meaningful competitive platform for athletes,” said Andrew Booth, lead organiser of the WESSA Ultra Trail Run and partner representing KZNA. “Having the inaugural KZNA championship as part of WESSA’s Ultra Trail festival is an exciting milestone for trail running in the province.”

 

Entry fees

Adults: R100 per person
Children 8 years and up: R50 per child
Children under 8 years: FREE
Children’s Day Programme with WESSA Education Staff: R100 per child for a day pass

 

More than a race

The WESSA Ultra Trail Festival is designed as a full day out, with plenty for those who aren’t taking on the trails.

The music festival starts at approximately 12:00 midday, with Jason Hartman headlining alongside local artists. A curated market will feature local vendors offering food and a variety of crafts and products, while a dedicated kids’ programme will give younger visitors an opportunity to take part in the day.

The festival creates a space where runners, families, friends, and supporters can come together and experience the reserve in different ways.

As WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete explains, the festival is about bringing people closer to conservation through shared experiences:

“The WESSA Ultra Festival is an invitation to experience conservation as a shared celebration. Whether you are taking on a trail, enjoying the music, exploring the market or bringing your family for the day, you are joining us in celebrating 100 years of people caring for the earth.”

 

Experience the landscape

The WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve provides a distinctive backdrop for the festival, with indigenous forests, rolling grasslands, river crossings, dramatic escarpments and valley views forming part of the experience.

For runners, the landscape becomes part of the challenge. For other visitors, it provides an opportunity to spend time outdoors and experience the reserve as a place where nature, movement, and community come together.

The inaugural WESSA Ultra Festival is ultimately about creating different ways for people to connect with the landscape – whether through running a trail, enjoying live music, discovering local products or simply spending time in nature.

Plan your day

  • WESSA Ultra Trail Run
  • Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026
  • Location: WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve, near Howick, KwaZulu-Natal
  • Trail distances: 5.85 km, 12 km, 18 km, 36 km, 48 km, 75 km and 100 km
  • Registration: From 02:30
  • Race briefing: 15 minutes before each race
  • Race format: Loop
  • Music festival and market: From approximately 12:00 midday
  • Entries and event information: CLICK HERE
  • Download and share our poster.

As WESSA celebrates 100 years of people caring for the earth, the WESSA Ultra Festival offers a new way to bring that legacy to life – through movement, connection, community and an experience rooted in the natural landscape.

 

A live music festival will set the tone for the day, with Jason Hartman, Scott and Sam Hartman headlining from 13h00, alongside talented local artists:
  • Blackbird: blend sultry jazz, upbeat folk, soulful indie.
  • Undivided Rootz ZA: entertain with rock, and reggae music.
  • Rhiannon & Vince Reid: mix acoustic storytelling with familial harmony.
  • Skippy Kubheka: brings rock, blues, Motown vibes, and soulful ballads.
 
 

🏆 Run, race and win!

There’s even more waiting for our trail runners! With 80 prizes up for grabs, your WESSA Ultra Trail Festival entry could come with an extra reward.

From adventure experiences and weekend getaways to WESSA merchandise, memberships, vouchers and more, prizes include:

That’s 80 chances to take home something special. So lace up, choose your distance and join us on 24 October!
South Africa’s coast – a living heritage

South Africa’s coast – a living heritage

Sep 26, 2026 | Blue Flag, News, Uncategorized

South Africa’s coast is more than a collection of beautiful beaches. It is a living heritage shaped by our oceans, estuaries, dunes, forests, marine ecosystems, wildlife, communities, cultures, histories and the people whose lives and livelihoods are connected to the sea.

Our beaches are places where people gather, memories are created and communities connect. They are also places where visitors experience the natural beauty of our coastline. Beneath the surface, our coastal and marine environments support remarkable biodiversity and ecological systems that are essential to the health and resilience of our planet.

Our coastal heritage is something we have inherited, but it is also something we have a responsibility to protect.

For 25 years, WESSA’s Blue Flag programme has played a role in that work, bringing municipalities, operators, communities and partners together to ensure that these valuable spaces are not only enjoyed, but responsibly managed, protected and appreciated.

Environmental education is an important part of this approach. By bringing people closer to nature and increasing awareness of the value of our coastal environments, we can help foster a deeper sense of responsibility and stewardship.

Blue Flag provides a platform where environmental management, public safety, accessibility, education and sustainable tourism come together to support healthier and more resilient coastal destinations. From beaches and marinas to sustainable boating operations, every Blue Flag site represents a commitment to protecting and enhancing the places that form part of our shared coastal heritage.

 

25 years of partnership and progress

 

Pictured above: Willard Beach, Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal

 

Over the past 25 years, our partners have embraced Blue Flag as more than simply an award. It has become a commitment to sustainable development, responsible tourism, environmental management and the continuous improvement of coastal destinations.

This journey would not have been possible without the dedication of the municipalities, beach and marina operators, sustainable boating operators, communities and partners who continue to invest in the future of our coastline.

As we mark 25 years of Blue Flag in South Africa, we celebrate the people, places and partnerships behind the programme.

We celebrate the beaches that have become part of our national coastal identity.

We celebrate the biodiversity that makes our coastline unique.

We celebrate the communities who depend on and care for these spaces.

We celebrate the partners who have committed to stronger environmental management.

And we recognise the generations before us who left us a coastline worth protecting.

Most importantly, heritage is not only about looking back. It is about deciding what we carry forward.

As WESSA marks 25 years as the National Operator of Blue Flag South Africa, alongside a century of action for nature, we look towards the next chapter with a renewed commitment to protecting South Africa’s coastal and marine heritage.

Because the legacy we leave behind will be shaped by how we care for these places today.

ADvTECH learners connect with South Africa’s natural and cultural heritage

ADvTECH learners connect with South Africa’s natural and cultural heritage

Sep 25, 2026 | eco-schools, News

Pictured: Pre-primary learners at Pecanwood College completed a South African Flag mural for Heritage Day

 

September brought opportunities for learning, creativity and connection across ADvTECH schools, as learners explored the natural environment and the diverse cultural heritage that make South Africa unique.

At Maragon Mooikloof, learners welcomed spring on 4 September with a Spring Day and Arbor Day celebration, dressing in bright, nature-inspired colours and taking part in the planting of 22 indigenous False Olive (Buddleja saligna) trees across the school campus.

 

Pictured above: Maragon Mooikloof learners planting 22 Indigenous trees and showcasing their Arbor Month Spring Day dress-up

 

Well suited to the local biome, the indigenous trees will provide shade, support biodiversity and contribute to the school’s natural environment. Their planting also forms part of a longer-term plan to establish a natural wind and sand screen between the school and neighbouring properties.

At Pecanwood College, Heritage Day provided another opportunity for learners to explore the connections between people, place, culture and the environment.

Activities encouraged learners to discover South Africa’s diverse traditions and heritage through a range of hands-on experiences. These included creating a South African flag from recycled bottle tops, exploring traditional foods and spices, learning about Ubuntu, creating Ndebele-inspired artwork, and exploring traditional attire and heritage sites.

 

Pictured: Pre-primary learners at Pecanwood College sorting bottle caps and creating their SA Flag mural.

 

Learners also celebrated South Africa’s languages, music, dance and wildlife, reflecting the many different elements that contribute to the country’s rich cultural heritage.

Together, these activities demonstrate the value of creating opportunities for young people to learn through experience – whether planting an indigenous tree, exploring a cultural tradition or finding creative ways to reuse materials.

 

Pictured: Learners at Pecanwood with their Ubuntu poster for Heritage Day

 

By connecting learners with both natural and cultural heritage, schools can help nurture a deeper appreciation for the places, people and environments they are part of – and encourage a culture of care that extends beyond the classroom.

 

WESSA statement on Verreaux’s (Black) Eagle nesting at uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve

WESSA statement on Verreaux’s (Black) Eagle nesting at uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve

Sep 23, 2026 | Advocacy, News, Umngeni Valley

WESSA is aware of the concerns being expressed about the absence of Verreaux’s (Black) Eagle nesting at uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve during the current breeding season.

The absence of nesting is a concern, and the reserve management team continues to monitor the situation. At this stage, however, the reason for the absence of nesting has not been established, and there is no confirmed evidence that it was caused by climbing, hiking or any other specific activity.

WESSA fully supports the reserve management team, including the use of seasonal closures, signage and other access-management measures designed to protect sensitive areas and breeding wildlife. All visitors and users of the reserve are expected to comply with these rules and to respect closures and signage at all times.

WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete expressed that WESSA recognises that the reserve is valued by a range of users, including the climbing and hiking communities, and we acknowledge the positive role that responsible users play in the reserve. We also recognise that, as with any shared natural space, individual actions may not always reflect the standards and expectations of the wider community.

Our priority is to protect the biodiversity and natural heritage of uMngeni Valley while enabling responsible access to the reserve. We believe these objectives can coexist when everyone respects the rules established by reserve management.

WESSA welcomes constructive dialogue with all stakeholders as we work together to strengthen understanding of seasonal restrictions and support the protection of the reserve’s wildlife.

The Mountain Club of South Africa – KZN Section shares the concerns raised by WESSA and, as always, remains committed to its support of the uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve and the decisions made by its management. The MCSA and its members have a long history of collaboration with the Reserve across various areas of involvement, including climbing closures for birds of prey. Carl Dreyer, President of the MCSA – KZN Section, encourages all climbers and user groups to respect the primary purpose of the Reserve and to adhere to any restrictions or requests made by the Reserve Management.

Conservation is a shared responsibility, and the rules that protect the reserve apply to all of us.

Contact Jaco van der Merwe, uMngeni Valley Reserve Manager, for any reserve-related queries by emailing Jaco.VanDerMerwe@wessa.co.za  or calling 066 307 0025.