About Princess Vlei
Princess Vlei is a wetland on the Cape Flats with a mythical history, which has long been treasured for its beauty and tranquillity. In 2014, a five-year community campaign successfully prevented the development of a shopping mall on its banks. The Princess Vlei Forum is now working with the community and the City of Cape Town to restore the biodiversity and transform the 110 ha into a world-class heritage site celebrating its rich natural, social, and cultural heritage. But the struggle is not over - the site has been badly neglected and we are still working to ensure that the City invests the resources the Princess Vlei needs.
Videos
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In 2022, Rewild Africa worked with Princess Vlei Forum staff and volunteers to create a short documentary to tell the Princess Vlei story.
Watch the movie on the Waterbear website Read more about the film here |
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Some of the indigenous species that we protect
Thistle Sugarbush/ Witskollie
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Cape Dwarf Chameleon
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Western Leopard Toad
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Rondevlei Spiderhead
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Our progress so far
0,9 Hectares
Area Restored |
5,5 Hectares
Area Rehabilitated |
13
Threatened Species Introduced |
42 275
Plants Planted |
1200
Community Members Engaged |
5000
School Children Engaged |
Our Supporters
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Upcoming Events
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Recent Events
July 2026: My Plant is a Tiger
The best thing is when we went canoeing and went into the unknown…’ Eighty-eight learners from Lotus High and Floreat Primary and 46 from Levana and Rosmead Primary came to plant in the seasonal pond restoration areas on the northern shore. They planted over 800 plants, Read More 
July 2026: New Growth for Madiba
On Mandela Day, the Princess Vlei Forum held a planting event in our restoration site on the Elfindale side of the Vlei. We were joined by several people passing by on the new walkway, who happily paused their walk to put a plant in the ground. Read More 
June 2026: Planting for the Youth
June 16 2026, the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, was a beautiful day. There was a festive air at Princess Vlei, as scores of community members turned out to enjoy the recently opened walkway Read More 
June 2026: More than just a walk way
On June 10, the City hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new walkway around Princess Vlei. This came nearly 14 years after community members walked the informal path around Princess Vlei in protest against the mall in December 2012. Read More 
February 2026: Into the Unknown
The best thing is when we went canoeing and went into the unknown…’ This comment by Grade 6 Harmony Primary learner, Zarah van Graan beautifully captures the spirit of the Princess Vlei Wetland Explorer event in earlier in February. 83 learners from four schools came to explore the Princess Vlei as a wetland habitat - from the water and the land Read More 
January 2026: The Right to FLow from Source to Sea
The river has the right to flow and to flourish and to exist This was said by one of the Lotus High Learners who participated in the Forum's Source to Sea programme. Over three sessions, the learners traced the course of the Diep river, from near its source on Table Mountain, through Princess Vlei, to the estuary at Muizenberg. Read More 
December: Counting Biodiversity
The restoration efforts at Princess Vlei are steadily growing the biodiversity on site, not only of the plants but also of the many faunal species they attract. Our conservation intern, Kamva Nose, gives some insight into the changing biodiversity at Princess Vlei. Read More 
November: Tagging the Sunbirds
Small nectar feeding birds such as our local sunbird species rely on regular supplies of nectar, and in turn are important pollinators of many fynbos species. Muneeba Lamera, a Masters in Conservation Science student at the Cape Peninsula, researched the movement of these birds in the areas around Princess Vlei. Read More 
25 October: Fynbos Fantasia on Parade
On Saturday 25 October, over 170 young people from local primary and high schools, and some from further afield, came to celebrate our rich floral diversity. Thanks to restoration efforts for the past fifteen years, many fynbos species are now flourishing at Princess Vlei. Read More 
October: We are the Plant People
The Crestway High Ecoclub are leading lights in treating nature with respect. In October, they found a new way to honour nature by transforming themselves into culturally and ecologically significant fynbos plants. Read More |
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