To honour the memory of Nelson Mandela, members of the Endangered Wildlife Trust pack across South Africa took part in local events, joining hands with stakeholders and communities to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

Mandela Day is a call to action for all to reflect on Mandela’s values and principles, and to take meaningful steps to make a positive impact in their own communities.  It is a day in which all are called to dedicate 67 minutes of service to their communities.  

In the Western Cape, members of the Drylands Strategic Conservation Landscape team joined NGO’s and partners to collect rubbish that had washed down the Olifants River, into the estuary and river mouth in the community of Papendorp (Western Cape). During the recent floods, the estuary received tons of rubbish which the community is slowly trying to remove. This activity marked the end of a 2-day forum aimed at all partners and initiatives operational in the Arid Landscape to promote better understanding of work done and ensuring long-term collaboration in the space. A total of 15 Partners participated in the Forum, and allowed some welcome field time!

In Johannesburg, a team from the EWT’s Conservation Campus in Midrand joined Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo to roll up their sleeves to remove variety of invasive alien species at the Zoo. Oscar Mohale, the head of the EWT’s Wildlife and Infrastructure Unit, provided those present with information about invasive alien species in South Africa and how these can, and should, be removed. The EWT team joined students from the Sefako Makgatho University and the Vaal University of Technology, as well as children from a number of schools in Gauteng.  The presence of the youth added to the energy of a 67-minute initiative to work together to protect biodiversity and create a healthy habitat for the animals and indigenous plants at the Zoo.   Among the alien species removed we Bugweed, Lantana, Woolly nightshade. Alianthus altissima (tree-of-heaven), Araujia sericifera (cruel vines), and Cat’s Claw.