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 |
546
Community Members Engaged |
2642
School Children Engaged |
Our Supporters
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Upcoming Events |
Recent Events
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 
September: Ask the plant before you harvest
All pants have an intention… we need to work with that intention. If you want to pick part of a plant for food or for medicine, you need to ask the plant for permission….Shihaam Domingo This was one of the core teachings of the four workshops run by indigenous practitioner and cultural botanist Shihaam Domingo. Read More 
September: We wear fynbos on our hearts
Pelargoniums and butterflies, Ericas and sunbirds, Arum lilies and Frogs, a mouse and a protea, the bietou and the bee… these are some of the relationships celebrated by learners from local primary schools on colourfully painted t-shirts. Read More 
August 31: Dance of the pollinators and the flowers
What dance would you do if you were a pollinator? This was the challenge for the 90 primary school learners who came to the vlei in August for a creative and immersive experience of the wonders of our fynbos floral kingdom. Learners closely observed and did drawings of flowers and pollinators and created dances based on the interaction of plants and pollinating insects, birds and other animals. Read More 
July 20: Heal the land, Heal yourself.
On 20 July. Community members of all ages gathered to help restore the wetland environment on the Northern shore of Princess Vlei, in celebration of Mandela Day on July 18. Kamva Nose, a conservation intern with the PVF, welcomed the group of 20 volunteers: ’… As humans, we have responsibility, we are the custodians own nature. So let’s take care of it .’ Read More 
July 17: Making pond magic
Since early May, the Princess Vlei Forum has been bringing life back to the northern shore of Princess Vlei with the creation of a new seasonal pond, to help revive the seasonal wetland that once characterised Princess Vlei. Many hands have helped to clear invasive species, revive indigenous plants, and plant indigenous species once abundant at Princess Vlei. Read more 
July 17: A Heart-shaped pond
Reviving seasonal ponds, which fill with the winter rains and dry out in summer, is a critical part of our work in reviving ecosystems in Princess Vlei, to help us bring back the waterblommetjies, micro frogs and a host of other fauna and flora. This year we have expanded our restoration work on the northern side of the vlei and have created a second seasonal pond. Read more. 
May 10: Tackling Plastic
Plastic pollution has a major impact on Princess Vlei, harming local animals and creating an unsightly environment. It is also a major global threat, choking our oceans and waterways, and multiplying other threats such as as climate change. On May 10 we held a workshop to explores ways of tackling the plastic monster Read More 
April : The green team takes on invaders
Recent visitors to Princess Vlei might have seen our star Hyacinth hunters at work. Sydney Jacobs and his team, working in collaboration with the City, have pulled off a miracle in clearing this sprawling invader. Read More |
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