If you are interested in applying for any of the Groen Sebenza positions please see the LINK below to apply.

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The project will employ 20 youth across the KCD municipality to establish, manage and grow four (4) nature-positive agri-businesses which will ultimately improve the local economy of their communities. South32 will finance the project for two years which enables WESSA to give the youth the tools and platforms to establish themselves in the local, regional and national agriculture sector.

Starting the project, these 20-youth realised that they can become ambassadors for a movement of generations of potential farmers and businesses that can drive the economy and betterment of their communities.

Throughout the 2 years of the project they will sharpen their existing skills and competencies to set- up and successfully manage their agri-businesses, business training and paired with businesses currently in the sector to mentor them.

This project shows the commitment of South32 to the communities they operate in, and WESSA, as an enabler for capacity development and sustainable livelihoods. One youth member starting this project expressed that ‘the main reason we have this kind of learnership is to eradicate unemployment and poverty! We are committed to the success of this learnership, and for our work to continue for generations to come. We want to be history makers; when people talk about Eco- Hubs in our local communities, we want our names to be engraved so that everybody will know that this started with us in our community.”

This strategic partnership is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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The goals of the WESSA Awards are to give appropriate, high level recognition to people, groups or institutions for advancing
the cause of environmental conservation and education in South Africa in an exceptional and sustained manner. It also provides an opportunity for WESSA to increase public awareness of local or national achievements in environmental conservation and education. The main criterion for the WESSA Awards is to acknowledge an individual, corporate/organisation, community group, educational group, conservation or environmental group who have done outstanding and sustained work for the benefit of environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa.

The WESSA Individual Award was presented to Mr Funisile Zothe, the WESSA Group Award recipient was presented to the Gauteng Stewardship and Conservancy Association, the WESSA Award for Corporates was awarded to Contour Enviro Group, and the WESSA Youth Award was presented to Siya Ntsumpa. This year, WESSA introduced a new award, the WESSA Teacher award, which celebrates the unique contribution of teachers to the Schools and Youth Unit and honours their commitment to improving the quality of environmental education in the South African school curriculum and enriching the lives of their students. This year, the award was shared with Ms Thandeka Sibiya and Ms Antonia Mkhabela. WESSA also paid tribute to Patrick Dowling who was awarded the prestigious WESSA Gold Award for his extraordinary contribution to environmental advocacy and activism and environmental education, and Dr Jeremy Anderson who was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for a lifetime of contribution to conservation.

In addition, WESSA gave commendations to several organisations and individuals doing exceptional work in their particular fields in the environmental sector. In no particular order these are:

K9 Members of the Eastern Cape SAPS under the leadership of Dr Div De Villiers and Colonel Moodley who are responsible for several arrests and the recovery of thousands of kilograms of abalone. They are consistent with these successes on a monthly basis. WESSA salutes them for their bravery and commitment to the environment.

Itumeleng Youth Project who have built an information centre to support matriculated students. The organisation adopted environmental health as a main objective. Their Change Project focus is on illegal dumping with a particular focus on disposable nappies.

Izimbali Zkusasa is an organisation that believes in the power of women to change their own lives and create their own future. They educate women and young girls so they can be a positive change in their community and aim to ensure they are respected in the workplaces. WESSA recognises them for their significant impact on their community and youth development.

Romario Valentine is a 9-year-old eco-champion and has been an eco-warrior advocate for 4 years. At his young age, to date he has cleaned the beach 160 times, helped 900 endangered birds at Umgeni River Bird Park in Durban during the COVID-19, and supports a Bird Habitat Restoration Campaign for African Grey Parrots at Birds of Eden Cape Town to raise funds for the completion of an aviary. He is a true champion of the environment.

Kabega Primary Eco-Life is a recycling initiative of Kabega and focuses on education to create awareness. Through the recycling of bottle tops learners have provided wheelchairs to disabled learners.

The Liesbeek Maintenance Project Team is to rehabilitate and restore the river’s ecological functioning, clean the riparian edge, manage and control alien invasive species whilst replanting with indigenous vegetation and enhance the recreational and social value of the river and its trail. The team have completed a Lythrum control project and are busy removing crofton weed, balloon vine, moth-catcher, bind-weed, brambles, alders, long-leafed wattle, stinkbean, ginger, lantana and Spanish Broom from the riverside. WESSA salutes the LMP team for their commitment to ecosystem rehabilitation.

Please click here to view the presentation of the 2021 WESSA National Awards.

AWARDS AND FULL CITATIONS:

WESSA Award for Individuals – Presented to Funsile Zothe

Funisile Zothe is a general worker at Three Crowns Primary school located in Khavala village in Lady Frere, Cacadu, Eastern Cape. Mr Zothe became involved with conservation and environmental education through the Eskom Energy and Sustainability project which was introduced to the school in 2009. He was present and instrumental when the project installed the Integrated Biogas and Algal Sanitation System (IBASS) at the school and the subsequent projects that followed including food
gardens and orchards. Mr Zothe has sustained his conservation work at the school by expanding to other projects such as indigenous gardens, waste management systems and water conservation. The school is recognised as a conservation champion in the district and province, which is attributed to the phenomenal work performed by Mr. Zothe behind the scenes. Funisile Zothe is a worthy recipient of the Individual Award, and is regarded as an ambassador for the environment for his passion, contribution and example as a role model for individuals in similar circumstances to him!

WESSA Award for Corporates – Contour Enviro Group

Contour Enviro Group has been successfully implementing the Department of Agriculture’s Junior LandCare Programme which seeks to reach both rural and urban communities in the Western Cape Province. The programme focuses on teaching youth about conservation of the Cape’s Biodiversity including indigenous and endemic fauna and flora, pollution and waste management, soil conservation and sustainable agricultural practices, water conservation, catchment areas and river health, climate Change and the threats facing biodiversity, and alien Invasive plants and their effects on the natural ecosystems. Through these interventions Contour Enviro Group have managed to reach a total of 4 284 Primary School learners and 164 teachers and community members. They are most worthy of this award as a corporate committed to caring for the Earth.

WESSA Award for Groups – Gauteng Conservancy and Stewardship Association (GCSA)

The Gauteng Conservancy and Stewardship Association was formed in February 2003 to promote conservation on private land in Gauteng and to protect Gauteng’s fast-disappearing biodiversity. The Association represents 65 conservancies, and trains Conservation Officers enabling each conservancy to have trained people assisting with various environmental issues, re-establish plants that have been removed by the Muthi trade. They work with traditional healers and the Regional Healers Associations to educate and inform on the extinction of indigenous plants, and to assist with Environmental Management Plans focusing on both conservation and sustainable development. WESSA is so proud to be associated with the GCSA.

WESSA Award for Youth – Siya Ntsumpa

Siya Ntsumpa is the founder and CEO of an NPO in Motherwell township in the Eastern Cape, established in 2014 called Giving Them Wings. Siya is a nationally recognized and award-winning environmentalist who applies much of his time on school-based environmental projects. Through his work Siya has mentored over one hundred school environmental clubs where learners take on sustainable living projects. Siya is working with school’s in the Eastern Cape to promote sustainability through food gardening and recycling projects. He is a true champion of the environment and WESSA salutes his efforts!

WESSA Teacher Award – Presented to Thandeka Sibiya and Antonia Mkhabela

Thandeka Sibiya has wide experience in the subject of environmental sustainability, climate change and biodiversity. She has successfully managed to integrate this subject in to he South African curriculum and in the execution of extracurricular activities. This has been seen out school, locally and internationally. She has inspired many teachers in the province and nationally, who have received awards in different areas of education. Before, leaving Mpophomeni, a township in Howick, Kwazulu-Natal, she had already established networks with different organisations and think tanks, such as the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), uMngeni Water, WESSA, KZN Department of Sport Arts and Culture and others. Thandeka is a champion of environmental education in South Africa.

Antonia Mkhabela representing Shea O’Connor Combined School is a teacher and environmentalist and represents an incredible commitment and passion for education and community development. Through her efforts and commitment to the environment, the school has received an international community award through their incredible water saving efforts and other environmental projects. Antonia is a committed environmentalistand is being recognised for all she has given and all she continues to give because of a deep and personal commitment to making a difference to our planet!

WESSA Lifetime Achievement Award – Presented to Dr Jeremy Anderson

Dr Jeremy Lorn Anderson has 40-years of experience in natural resource conservation and ecotourism development in Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe) and further afield in Kenya, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Syria, United Arab Emirates and China. Dr Anderson has authored over 30 scientific and technical reports and holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. degree in conservation from London University. He is a member of 10 professional and conservation allied societies and has been both a member for many years, as well as branch and regional member and chairman of WESSA. We salute him for his outstanding contributions to conservation and environmental education over is his lifetime. He is most deserving of receiving a lifetime achievement award for WESSA.

WESSA Gold Award

Presented to Patrick Dowling After 19 years as Environmental Educator and Trainer, Patrick has not taken a break. He continues to educate, inspire, lead, change lives, defend what is right, counter what is wrong, and all this with a passion for Earth and humanity. Today there are many men and women who have been taught by Patrick or within working situations have been inspired by him, who now work full time in the environmental sector, both government and NGO. They carry the banner that challenges complacency and acceptance of the status quo. They share the urgency that Patrick instils in us. Today there are many men and women who have been taught by Patrick or within working situations have been inspired by him, who now work full time in the environmental sector, both government and NGO. They carry the banner that challenges complacency and acceptance of the status quo. They share the urgency that Patrick instils in us. WESSA salutes Patrick and bestows the Gold Award to him for a lifetime of commitment to the environment.

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The award ceremony was held at Grotto Beach on the 27 th October 2021 and attended by Ms Shamilla Chettiar, the Deputy Director General of the National Department of Tourism, Mr Dudley Coetzee, Executive Mayor of the Overstrand Municipality and the new WESSA CEO Dr Andrew Baxter. In recognition for their excellence in safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards, 60 Blue Flags will be proudly flown at 51 beaches, 5 marinas and by 4 sustainable tourism boats around South Africa over the forthcoming 2021/2022 Blue Flag season. The season officially opens on the 1 st December 2021. In his welcome address at the launch, Mr Dudley Coetzee of Overstrand Municipality gave his commitment to a safe and clean environment for the Western Cape treasures to be enjoyed!

The award also allows for potential Blue Flag sites to participate in a pilot programme. Thirty-three Pilot beach sites were recognized this year for their efforts toward reaching Blue Flag status in the near future. With a national goal of 100 Blue Flag sites by 2030, all efforts are now focused on assisting these pilot sites to become fully awarded with the Blue Flag. Please go to: https://wessa.org.za/our-work/sustainable-tourism/blue-flag-south-africa/ for a list of all full status and pilot sites for the 2021/2022 Blue Flag season.

Blue Flag South Africa is proudly in its twenty first year. In 2001, South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to join the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) on the Blue Flag Programme. Since then, many countries outside of Europe have followed South Africa’s example and joined Blue Flag giving the programme its international recognition. Speaking on behalf of the National Department of Tourism, Ms Shamilla Chettiar, in her keynote address for the day praised the tourism sector for being resilient and rising again, and that South Africa’s strong relationship with our stakeholders will be built on to bring back tourists to our shores. Ms Chettiar went on to say that Blue Flag represents excellence in service delivery by municipalities, who are the heartbeat of our country. WESSA continues to celebrate the great work of Grotto Beach and the Overstrand Municipality, hosts of the 2021/2022 launch who proudly achieved their Blue Flag status for 21 years! WESSA is committed to continue working together with municipalities and tourism operators to build the Blue Flag programme to its full potential and to restore the tourism industry after the devastating effects of COVD-19. We also aim to expand on conserving our marine and coastal environment, raise environmental awareness and increase sound environmental practices amongst tourists, coastal communities and beach managers.

Image 1: Blue Flag Overstrand Municipality Sites 2021 2022

Back left to right: Dr Andrew Baxter WESSA CEO, Councillor Kari Brice, Anver Wyngaard, Mayor Dudley Coetzee, Francoise Myburgh, Shamilla Chettiar Department of Tourism.

Front left to right: Whale Crier Bulelani Ngidi, Dencil Arendse

Image 2: WESSA Flag Hoisting ceremony

From left to right: Morgan Griffiths WESSA, Dudley Coetzee Overstrand Municipality, Kari Brice, Shamilla Chettiar NDT, Bulelani Ngidi, Tevya Lotriet WESSA, Andrew Baxter WESSA.

Image 3: Ray Nkonyeni Special Award

From left to right: WESSA CEO Dr Andrew Baxter, Nomfundo Dlamini Umdoni Municipality (representing Ray Nkonyeni Municipality), Shamilla Chettiar National Department of Tourism.

Image 4: WESSA Blue Flag Team

From left to right:  Lindokuhle Mkhize, Sakhile Sithole, Morgan Griffiths, Vincent Shacks, Tevya Lotriet, Andrew Baxter

Image 5: WESSA Blue Flag hoisting with Mayor

From left to right: Executive Mayor Dudley Coetzee, Shamilla Chettiar, Andrew Baxter and officials

For more information please contact:
WESSA Communications Manager
sarah@wessa.co.za : 076 213 9873
www.wessa.org.za

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Tourism for inclusive growth means that everyone from any part of the country can participate. The lady who makes traditional beadwork and even the man who takes rickshaw rides along the promenade. WESSA Tourism Blue Flag Project Coordinator, Lindo Mkhize, explained that Beach Stewards are funded by the National Department of Tourism, with the aim of contributing to the tourism sector by supporting local coastal businesses. Stewards are hosted for a year at various tourism companies or organisations, providing capacity to the host, while gaining valuable work experience. Lindo pointed out that the Stewards are also trained in guiding, innovative skills and career development.

This support is also evident in the numerous coastal clean-ups that stewards participate in, especially after the devastating looting that took place in July. Stewards were active across KwaZulu-Natal helping small businesses and our City get back on their feet. The beach clean-ups help keep our Blue Flag Beaches clean; Blue Flag Beaches being internationally accredited for their exceptional standards of cleanliness, water quality, safety and security. These beaches are often the main attraction for visitors to enjoy in various coastal towns and cities. Stewards provide valuable environmental information to visitors and keep these Blue Flag Beaches protected.

Nomfundo Ndaba said that: “World Tourism Day celebrates inclusive growth in tourism and new employment opportunities for South African youth. We aim to support the tourism industry as it rebuilds stronger and more resilient after Covid, and we are here to make sure of it!”

For more information contact:
Sarah Alcock
WESSA Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel 033 3303931 / 076 213 9873
Email: sarah@wessa.co.za
www.wessa.org.za

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Andrew is known for his strategic and innovative approach to leadership and has experience both in the corporate and non-profit sectors. He is the former head of business development at WWF-South Africa and more recently was the care-taker CEO of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust. Andrew has consulted to a wide range of organisations on strategy development, business development and leadership development. He hails from Cape Town and has a well-developed professional understanding of the environmental and conservation sectors in South Africa – across both public and private spheres. Andrew holds a PhD in palaeoecology from UCT and has special interests in landscape ecology, biodiversity conservation and climate change. He is a director on the boards of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, African Habitat Conservancy and is a founding Trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust.

Asked what environmental challenges facing South Africa he believes are critical to address, his list included: Climate change; habitat destruction/biodiversity loss; advocacy – especially around poor environmental governance (both corporate and government); hydric stress and water scarcity – with implications for agriculture and food security; pollution in all its forms and the implications for human wellbeing; the transition from carbon-intensive to renewable sources of energy; protecting our oceans and; addressing issues of (over) consumption and waste.

Andrew is mindful that the tremendous legacy of WESSA, coupled with the commitments from many loyal supporters and stakeholders, will provide strong rallying points to take the organisation forward as it seeks to address critically important environmental issues that confront the well-being of South Africans and the nation’s biodiversity and protected areas on a daily basis.

Andrew believes that Integrity, empathy, and communication are the most important attributes of successful leaders today. He is extremely humbled to be entrusted with the leadership of WESSA, an organisation with a long and proud history rooted in conservation, environmental education and public participation. In a rapidly changing world, he will be leading a diverse, innovative and extremely passionate team of champions. We are looking forward to beginning this new phase of WESSA’s work under Andrew’s leadership.

For more information contact:
Sarah Alcock
WESSA Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel 033 3303931 / 076 213 9873
Email: sarah@wessa.co.za
www.wessa.org.za

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1. To give appropriate, high level recognition to people, groups or institutions for advancing the cause of environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa in an exceptional and sustained manner.

2. To provide an opportunity for WESSA to increase public awareness of local or national achievements in environmental conservation and/or education.

In general, the main criterion for all the WESSA Awards is as follows:

“Any individual, corporate/organisation, community group, educational group, conservation or environmental group who have done outstanding and sustained work for the benefit of environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa.”

Note:

1. The above contribution can be made at a local level, but it should be deemed to be of national significance or be able to be replicated at a national level.

2. In exceptional cases, the WESSA Awards Committee may consider submissions where the activity has not been on a sustained basis.

3. WESSA staff are not eligible for the awards.

Who can make nominations?

Anyone can nominate a candidate for these awards. Nominations are directed to the WESSA Awards Committee at awards@wessa.co.za. www.wessa.org.za 2

Nominations time schedule:

By 30th June 2021, written nominations, signed by the proposer, must be sent to the Awards Committee at awards@wessa.co.za. The Awards Committee will make decisions about the award nominees.

By 15th August 2021 the successful nominee/s will be notified that they are to receive an award. They are requested not to make the award public until they receive the award at the WESSA National AGM.

The awards will be presented to the successful recipients at WESSA’s AGM to be held online on the 11th September 2021

Please note that the Awards Committee’s final decision will be based entirely on the contents of the submission. They will not, as a rule, undertake further research into the achievements of the nominees or the veracity of the claims made. Nominations must therefore be both substantial and substantiated.

Announcement of the awards:

The first public announcement of the awards will be made by the CEO at the WESSA AGM on the 11th September 2021. No public announcement may be made prior to this date.

Procedure for WESSA Awards nominations:

Nominations must be in writing and should include:

1. Full name of person nominated (nominee).

2. Full name and signature of person proposing the nominee (proposer).

3. Present address and contact telephone number and e-mail address of the nominee.

4. Full motivation for the nomination in which the candidate’s exceptional and (where appropriate) sustained contribution(s) to environmental conservation and/or education are described, with a specific focus on outcomes and achievements.

5. An abbreviated Curriculum Vitae of the nominee.

A list of the past recipients of WESSA Awards is available on our website www.wessa.org.za . Only in exceptional cases may previous award recipients be nominated again.

What awards can be made

WESSA AWARD FOR INDIVIDUALS

This is WESSA’s premier award to an individual. The person nominated must be considered to have made an outstanding contribution to environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa over a sustained period of time and at a national level. “Outstanding contribution” in this context is understood to be a contribution over and above what would normally be expected from their work.

WESSA AWARD FOR YOUTH

Youth are increasingly taking on environmental issues and making them their life’s work. In the Youth Award category WESSA would like to acknowledge a young person, under the age of 35 years, who has committed themself to environmental conservation and/or education. This individual should be making an “outstanding contribution” that is having positive outcomes at a national level. www.wessa.org.za 3

WESSA AWARD FOR CORPORATES

This award is made to corporations or institutions for outstanding contributions to environmental conservation and/or education in South Africa over a sustained period of time and at a national level.

WESSA AWARD FOR GROUPS

This award is made to any group of volunteers (e.g. community, educational, environmental) who have done outstanding work for the benefit of environmental conservation and/or education over a sustained period of time. Such contribution could be in their local area but should be of a national significance or be able to be replicated nationally.

WESSA AWARD FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR

This is a new WESSA award and celebrates the unique contribution of teachers to the Schools and Youth Unit and honours their commitment to improving the quality of environmental education in the South African school curriculum and enriching the lives of their students.

The intention is that a single award be made in each category each year. However, there is no restriction on the Awards Committee to limit awards made in one year. Furthermore, should no suitable candidate/s be nominated, the Awards Committee reserves the right to make no awards or call for more nominations.

Any questions or clarification about the WESSA Awards should be addressed to Sarah Alcock sarah@wessa.co.za

Date: 14th May 2021

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We enjoyed a problem-free first round of accredited tourism guiding training, over the second half of April. The training facilitators have reported all the groups of stewards to have been receptive and attentive.

Staff of the National Department of Tourism Project undertook their first round of site inspections at our KZN and Cape Town Year 2 hosts. This was followed up with our first Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting on 15 th April, at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The meeting was fairly well attended by contact and virtual host representatives. The general consensus was that the new stewards were settling comfortably into their new workplaces with few teething troubles. Some opportunities for hosts collaborations on events were initiated.

About a quarter of our stewards work permanently at beaches, being hosted at municipal beach offices. The majority are gaining work experience at tourism partner hosts; but fulfil their beach steward role over the school holiday periods. These stewards undertook their first beach session over the April school holidays. Below are a selection of photos of the stewards undertaking beach visitor surveys and leading beach activities for local visitors and tourists.

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The graduating Beach Stewards received their certificates of competency for their year-long accredited
tourism guiding training. WESSA TBF Project Manager, Morgan Griffiths shared his concern of how the
tourism industry had significantly contracted due to Covid-19 impacts; however he was encouraged at
how these stewards graduating today have earned for themselves a place in the blue economy, helping
to develop a more sustainable future for themselves and for their local communities. A key element of
their training, which continued virtually over lockdowns, was how to start their own small businesses to
create innovate tourism products. Of the youth who exited the programme over the course of the year,
a number left to start their own small businesses or took up full-time employment. Beach Steward Carol-
Ann Jantjies congratulated her fellow stewards on persevering over the long lockdown periods, and to
take encourage and action from all they had learnt about tourism, networking and creating their own
small businesses.

WESSA is proud to implement this highly impactful youth development programme, and together with
our stakeholders, the NDT, municipalities, and private host institutions, will induct a new group of 104
Tourism Blue Flag Beach Stewards in early March 2021.

For more information please contact:

TBF Project Manager, Morgan Griffiths: Email: morgan.griffiths@wessa.co.za : 072 417 5793
WESSA Group HR, Marketing and Communications Manager: sarah@wessa.co.za : 076 213 9873

www.wessa.org.za

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