Pictured above: (left) Zebra themed activities at Crawford International Sandton; (right top & bottom): Zebra face paint at South Downs College & learners in their Zebra-themed outfits

International Zebra Day is more than a celebration of one of Africa’s most iconic species. It is a reminder of why biodiversity matters, how ecosystems are connected, and the role education plays in shaping future custodians of the natural world.

Zebras, with their unmistakable stripes, are often one of the first wild animals children learn to recognise. But beyond their striking appearance, zebras play an important role in maintaining healthy grasslands and balanced ecosystems. As highlighted in broader conservation conversations around World Zebra Day, protecting zebras means protecting habitats, biodiversity, and the delicate relationships that sustain life in the wild.

This year, ADvTECH schools across the WESSA network brought that message to life through joyful learning, creativity, and meaningful action.

Learning through play and discovery at Southdown’s College

At Southdown’s College, International Zebra Day was embraced across school phases with enthusiasm and imagination. Younger learners arrived dressed in black and white, instantly transforming the day into a visual celebration that sparked curiosity and conversation.

Classrooms became spaces of discovery as learners explored zebra patterns through art, stories, sensory play and guided discussions. These activities went beyond learning facts about animals. They encouraged observation skills, creativity, and early environmental awareness, helping children make connections between wildlife, nature, and their own role in caring for the world around them.

By engaging the senses and inviting learners to express what they were learning, the day supported social development and built a foundation for empathy towards animals and the environments they depend on.

Pictured above: South Downs College Zebra Day Celebration – Learners dressed in their Zebra-themed outfits.

Turning awareness into action at Crawford International Sandton

At Crawford International Sandton, learners took International Zebra Day a step further by moving from awareness to visible, community-focused action.

Learners led a range of zebra-themed initiatives designed to spark conversations about biodiversity and conservation. From baking activities to upcycled bags, posters, and QR codes linking to conservation messages, learners found creative ways to share what they had learned beyond the classroom.

Importantly, these activities were not symbolic. They reflected a deeper understanding that caring for wildlife is connected to caring for people and the planet. Through charitable outreach and purposeful messaging, learners demonstrated how young people can use creativity and initiative to drive positive change in their communities.

Pictured above: Crawford International Sandton celebrating Zebra Day

Why days like this matter

International environmental days provide powerful opportunities for learning that is relevant, engaging, and action oriented. Zebras are part of complex ecosystems that rely on informed, committed stewardship.

When schools take part in days like International Zebra Day, they help learners understand that conservation is not distant or abstract. It starts with awareness, grows through education, and becomes meaningful through action.

At WESSA, we believe that these moments where learning meets care, and care turns into action, are essential in nurturing a generation that understands its responsibility to protect biodiversity and build a more sustainable future.

Pictured above: WESSA and Durban Solid Waste teams work together to rehabilitate an illegal dump site in Clermont.

Across KwaZulu-Natal this January, young people, community members and local partners came together to take tangible action for the environment. Through the Green Rising initiative, implemented by WESSA in partnership with UNICEF, two community-led interventions demonstrated how collective effort can restore degraded spaces while strengthening environmental stewardship at a local level.

From clearing invasive alien vegetation on a school campus to transforming an illegal dump site into a thriving biodiversity garden, these activities highlight what is possible when communities are empowered to care for the environments they live, learn and work in.

Restoring a school environment at Sthengile Senior Secondary

Pictured above: Alien invasive clearing activity at Sthengile Senior Secondary School

On 22 January 2026, WESSA, together with PEP Volunteers, community members and the local ward councillor, hosted an alien invasive clearing activity at Sthengile Senior Secondary School.

The initiative focused on removing dense invasive vegetation that had spread across more than two hectares of land on and around the school grounds. Through a coordinated, hands-on effort, the area was cleared, allowing indigenous plant life to recover and creating a safer, healthier environment for learners and educators alike.

Beyond the immediate ecological impact, the activity also served as a practical learning opportunity reinforcing the link between environmental care, climate resilience and community wellbeing, particularly for young people who are central to the Green Rising vision.

From illegal dump to biodiversity garden in Clermont

Pictured above: Clermont – WESSA and Durban Solid Waste teams hard at work to clear 20 tonnes of waste.

Just days later, on 28 January 2026, WESSA partnered with Durban Solid Waste to rehabilitate an illegal dump site in Clermont.

More than 20 tonnes of waste were removed from the site, significantly improving environmental conditions and reducing health risks for nearby residents. Following the clean-up, the space was rehabilitated and transformed into a functional biodiversity garden, offering a visible and lasting example of how degraded urban spaces can be reimagined.

Crucially, long-term sustainability was built into the project. A neighbouring spaza shop formally adopted the garden, committing to its ongoing care and maintenance, a powerful demonstration of local ownership and pride in the restored environment.

Enabling youth-led environmental action

Both activities form part of the Green Rising initiative, which supports youth-driven environmental action while strengthening community resilience in the face of climate and ecological challenges.

By combining hands-on environmental restoration with local partnerships and shared responsibility, these KwaZulu-Natal interventions show how meaningful change happens not only through policy and programmes, but through people working together to protect and restore the places that matter most to them.

Pictured above: group photo; Below: Presentation on the circular economy by the WESSA project coordinator

On 27 January 2026, educators from Glencore-funded and independently registered schools gathered at Ogies Combined School in Mpumalanga for a dedicated teachers’ workshop under the Glencore Circular Economy Project.

The workshop marked an important moment of reflection and renewal, creating space to look back at 2025 project activities, assess progress on the ground, and identify practical ways to strengthen and grow school-based circular economy initiatives in the year ahead.

Building on what works

A core focus of the session was supporting schools to consolidate what they have already achieved. Educators reflected on recycling and waste-management activities implemented during 2025, sharing what has worked well in their school environments and where additional support is needed.

These conversations helped surface common challenges and opportunities, ensuring that the project remains responsive to the realities faced by teachers and learners in the classroom and schoolyard.

Expanding the circular economy conversation

Looking ahead, the workshop introduced opportunities to expand circular economy activities beyond recycling, with a new emphasis on upcycling.

By exploring ways to transform waste materials into usable or artistic products, the project aims to:

• deepen learners’ understanding of resource value
• encourage creativity and problem-solving
• expose learners to the idea that waste can be a resource, not just something to be discarded

This approach opens up space for learners to express artistic skills while reinforcing key sustainability principles in a hands-on, accessible way.

Strengthening local partnerships

The workshop also created a platform for two local buy-back centres to present their services and explain how they collaborate with schools. Their participation strengthened links between schools and local recycling economies, highlighting how partnerships can support consistent waste diversion and reinforce real-world learning.

In total, 30 educators from schools in the eMalahleni area took part, representing both funded schools and independently registered schools engaged in the project.

Pictured above: Group engagement sessions

Supporting accountability and progress

In addition to reflection and planning, the workshop played a practical role in ensuring project momentum. Time was set aside to:

• complete outstanding registration documentation
• support schools in compiling evidence required for assessment
• address questions and gaps affecting progress against project activities

This structured support helps ensure that schools are well positioned to meet project requirements while continuing to build meaningful, learner-led environmental action.

Turning environmental education into everyday practice

By bringing educators together at the start of the year, the Glencore Circular Economy Project reinforced the role of teachers as drivers of sustained change within their schools and communities. The workshop not only strengthened existing initiatives but also laid the groundwork for deeper engagement with circular economy principles in 2026.

As schools continue to build on their achievements, the focus remains on practical action, collaboration and creativity, turning environmental education into everyday practice.

Top left: Mayor of Ray Nkonyeni, representatives from the Leisure Bay Conservancy and Mpenjati Conservancy. Top right: Jeffreys Bay Lifeguards Philani Yumatha and Keawane Hammond; Bottom left: De Bakke Beach in Mossel Bay – WESSA CEO, Cindy-Lee Cloete with lifeguard squad leader Je-Olyne Walters and municipal representative Mushfiqah Abrahams; Bottom right: McDougalls Bay, Port Nolloth – WESSA CEO, Lara Young, Municipal Support & Compliance Manager, Joseph G Cloete, Municipal Manager, Port Nolloth

Stop the Strangle action campaign scales frontline marine protection through municipal and community partnerships

WESSA is strengthening on-the-ground action against ghost fishing gear and marine entanglement through its ongoing CEO coastal roadshow, as part of Phase 2 of the Stop the Strangle (STS) action campaign.

The roadshow, led by WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete, kicked off in December 2025 and is focused on deepening collaboration with municipalities, conservancies, lifeguard services and coastal partners, while accelerating the national rollout of ghost fishing line collection and analysis bins across South Africa’s coastline.

This work forms part of the Ford 100-Bin Relay Project made possible through the support of the Ford Wildlife Foundation and aims to intercept discarded fishing line before it reaches the ocean, while generating data to support long-term, evidence-based marine conservation.

Turning coastal action into measurable impact

Ghost fishing gear, including lost or discarded fishing line, remains one of the most harmful forms of marine pollution, causing severe injury and death to seabirds, turtles, sharks and other marine species, often long after the gear has been abandoned.

Through Stop the Strangle, WESSA is combining practical infrastructure, community-led monitoring, and data collection to reduce this threat in high-traffic coastal areas.

As part of the CEO roadshow ghost fishing line collection and analysis bins have recently been formally handed over at multiple strategic coastal sites that are part of our Green Coast and Blue Flag network of partners.  New Stop the Strangle sites include Mossel Bay, Jeffreys Bay, McDougalls Bay (Port Nolloth), Leisure Bay and Mpenjati Conservancies in KwaZulu-Natal, and two of our Blue Flag marinas, namely Club Mykonos and the Royal Alfred Marina.

“These handovers are about more than infrastructure,” says Cindy-Lee Cloete, CEO of WESSA. “They represent a shared commitment between municipalities, coastal partners and communities to protect marine life and manage our coastlines responsibly. By working together, we can stop fishing line from becoming a silent killer in our oceans and turn local action into lasting conservation impact.”

Strengthening municipal and community partnerships

The handovers bring together key local stakeholders, including municipal representatives, conservancies, lifeguard services and coastal managers, highlighting the essential role of local leadership in marine litter prevention.

By prioritising Green Coast sites, Blue Flag beaches, marinas and boat facilities, the Ford 100-Bin Relay Project is designed to increase interception where pressure on the coastline is highest, while demonstrating a scalable model for integrated coastal management.

“The Stop the Strangle campaign is designed to turn hands-on coastal action into data-driven conservation outcomes,” adds Mike Denison, WESSA’s Coastal Programme Senior Manager. “The information gathered through these bins will help strengthen marine research, inform policy discussions and guide future interventions.”

A national campaign with local impact

Stop the Strangle operates within WESSA’s broader Green Coast programme, which supports coastal stewardship, environmental compliance and community participation along South Africa’s shoreline.

The CEO roadshow continues in early 2026, with further handovers and engagements planned with strategic partners as the campaign scales nationally.

Long-term coastal protection depends on strong partnerships and practical action. With the support of the Ford Wildlife Foundation, WESSA’s Coastal Programme is strengthening frontline coastal conservation and working alongside communities to deliver real, measurable impact.

We are proud to have our Coastal Programme powered by Ford.

Want to get involved?

Learn more about Stop the Strangle and how to support the campaign here: https://www.wessa.org.za/stop-the-strangle/. Reach out to Mike Denison, WESSA’s Coastal Programme Senior Manager via greencoast@wessa.co.za.