On Mandela Day, the Princess Vlei Forum held a planting event in our restoration site on the Elfindale side of the Vlei. Last year, we cleared the site of invasive vegetation such as kikuyu grass and Brazilian pepper trees, to make space for hundreds of indigenous plants which were planted by school learners and community members. We also created a new seasonal pond. (Read More) The area is thriving, and supporting chameleons, frogs, birds and insects, although low rainfall means that the pond is not as full as last year.
This year, we cleared more ground, and invited community members to devote their '67 minutes' for Mandela Day to putting new plants in the ground. 

About twenty volunteers came to join the planting, and we were joined by several people passing by on the new walkway, who happily paused their walk to put a plant in the ground. These included a few dozen who joined the African Solidarity walk organised
by the Ishraaq Solidarity Forum to show solidarity with people from other parts of Africa. Altogether, over 400 plants were put in of the following species: Searsia angustifolia; Orphium frutescens (Oxalis); Orphium frutescens  (Gladiolus quadrangulus); Elegia nuda (restios); Eriocephalus africanus and Zantedeschia aethiopicum (Arum lilies) 

• Thanks to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth, the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society South Africa and the Rowland Leta Hill Trust for supporting our restoration programme. 

This planting helps us remember the struggles the youth have had, from fighting against the apartheid regime, til now fighting to get employment…. Planting here helps to celebrate them and to show that they have a purpose in this world.’   Kamva Nose

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. A phalanx of young runners, dog walkers, families with strollers and toddlers, old friends walking together … the whole time we were planting, there was a steady stream of passers by. 
        It was a far cry from the tragic moment in Soweto 50 years ago, when police opened fire on school children and Hector Petersen became  the first of many young people to be sacrificed in the fight for freedom. And yet,  both the act of protesting and planting are acts of hope for a better future. 

The youth of 1976, and those that followed, faced a seemingly insurmountable enemy. Their immediate demands were simple - the refusal to be instructed in Afrikaans. But underlying that was a yearning for freedom, for the right to self governance, the right to dignity, the right to life. While our first democratic elections in 1994 was a significant milestone in this quest for freedom, they did not deliver the society the youth were striving for. Young people all over South Africa still face a bleak future, with few choices and fewer opportunities. The older generation - ironically the ’76 generation - continues to fail them, through greed, or corruption, or lack of imagination. And perhaps the biggest betrayal is the destruction of the planet through climate change, extractivism and pollution. A destruction which threatens all future generations with scarce resources, hunger, and unlivable conditions. 
    As we face so many crises in our country and our world, the act of planting, or restoring one small patch of ground to a place of liveliness and beauty, may seem futile. And yet, every plant we put in the ground is a promise to future generations. A promise that this world is worth saving, That every plant, insect, bird we save is critical for weaving a livable world, a world in which humans and all other species can flourish. 
    About forty people gathered on the southern shore of Princess Vlei, to plant over two hundred seedlings, including Jordaaniellia dubia, Ruschia macowanii, Pelargonium capitatum, Serruria foeniculacea, Helichrysum patulum, Pelargonium capitatum, and Pelargonium triste. Volunteers also pulled out a substantial pile of the highly invasive lupins. Amongst the volunteers were fifteen conservation students from CPUT, future guardians of our natural world. 
    One of the volunteers was Kamva Nose, who interned with the Princess Vlei Forum last year. In his words, ‘Celebrating and remembering our youth is important especially as we feel quite neglected. There are many things that impact the youth, such as the high rate of unemployment, but actions like this actually empower youth, and help them know that they have a purpose. And what a way to give back to mother earth, and to our communities, by ensuring that our natural sites are protected, they are restored, and they are celebrated. This is our heritage. Fynbos is unique to us, we have to own it, be proud of it. 
    ‘Involving the youth shows them that they are the future generation, and this helps them take care of the future. It gives them purpose, takes them away from destruction, gives them a safe haven to feel and connect to themselves again, to touch soil, to smell the grass, to have joyful meeting with other youth. The efforts of the PVF are important to help us remember the struggle the youth had, from fighting against the apartheid regime, til now fighting to get employment…. This helps to celebrate them and to show that they have a purpose in this world.’

• Thank you to everyone who took part, and to the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa for funding the plants. 

On the night of June 30, vandals made use of the full moon to strip wood from one of the bridges in the Princess Vlei trail. They were interrupted by the City's Quemic rangers before they could make off with the stolen planks, but they managed to evade capture. 
   In the past few weeks, thousands of people have made use of this trail. So many have expressed delight at this community asset, which offers local residents a beautiful walk in nature, and a space to meet and connect with other community members.
 

This is an act of theft and destruction against the community. Those who did this are stealing from the people of Grassy Park, Lotus River, Lavender Hill, Retreat, Elfindale and beyond. Someone must know who did this - it was not a simple operation. We urge anyone with information to come forward.
   The Princess Vlei Forum is in discussion with the City to find solutions, which include  speaking to community forums such as Community Policing Forums, and Neighbourhood Watches, and making the CIty's security measures more effective - including the possible installation of CCV cameras. The City provides Quemic rangers who patrol the site 24/7, but rangers can’t be present everywhere all the time. Community support with security is vital as well.    We need all community members to get involved in helping us to protect this valuable community asset - an asset worth much in monetary terms but worth far more in what it brings to every child, elderly person, youth or adult  (and their dogs) who walk this trail. 
   When Cllr Southgate and City invested in this project there were critics who said, 'it'll just get vandalised', 'Princess Vlei is not worth it.'
  We know that Princess Vlei, and the communities who live around Princess Vlei, are worth this investment. It is even more important to create these spaces for communities who do not have easy access to other natural spaces in Cape Town. We call on all community members to support efforts to protect this trail, and to prove the critics wrong.

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 proposed mall in December 2012. That group included two ponies, which offered rides to younger walkers . This walk was not just protest, but also an act of hope, an act of imagining a public space that could serve nature and community. Twelve years later, that community vision has been realised.

There were no ponies on June 10, but plenty of excitement, as few hundred people arrived to celebrate this community victory. Cllr Southgate, who has been instrumental in promoting the development of the walkway, spoke about the legend of the Princess. According to some versions of the legend, the Princess Vlei was formed by the tears of a Khoi 'princess' who had been abused by Portuguese sailors who came with Fransico d’ Almeida in 1510.
   'I believe the Princess would be crying tears of joy today to see this development for the community,’ Cllr Southgate said. 

The City’s Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, welcomed the initiative. ‘We wanted to create a safe and accessible space where residents can enjoy the beauty of Princess Vlei,’ she said. ‘Communities need dignified space to walk, run, connect with nature and spend time with family and friends.’ 
   Higham said that Princess Vlei was more than just a body of water. It was a place of memory, heritage, biodiversity and deep community meaning. 

Hugo van Niekirk from the City Park’s Planning and Development Department described the opportunity to work on the trail as a privilege, because of the special nature of the site. He remarked that the community ‘fought tooth and nail to save the site from development’, and described the development as an embodiment of what communities can achieve when they work together.
    He spoke about the process of realising the plan for the route of the walk way. ’We wanted to create a pathway that works with nature, and does not cut through it. You need to let the landscape guide you and listen to its story.’
    Speaking on behalf of the Princess Vlei Forum, Bridget Pitt paid homage to the community vision which had driven the development, sometimes against all odds. 
  This walk way is an expression of what can happen when the City and the community work together. The spirit of Princess Vlei, of resistance, reliance and endurance is beautifully expressed in this trail. ’
  The walk way involves two trails, one of 4.2 km and one of 3 km version, with two wooden bridges over the canal and through the wetlands. It connects all the communities surrounding the Vlei, helping to break down some of the barriers that were created by apartheid city planning. Several information boards along the way give information on the natural and cultural heritage of Princess Vlei.
   So many people have been involved in creating this. Those community feet which first felt out the path; the many community members who came to early workshops held by the Forum to create a vision for the Vlei; the creators of the People’s Plan which first guided the struggle against the mall. Forum members  John Prince, an engineer, and Malcom Campbell, a landscape architect, who volunteered hours of their time to assist the city in mapping out the route. 
   In 2013 we ran a campaign called Imagine Princess Vlei, to consolidate the community vision for this space. This trail is a testament to the people’s imagination, and their resolve in manifesting their vision for a better future. The huge numbers of people using the trail since the inauguration affirm what value this has brought to the community.