Grant funding boosts Mosselbank River clean-up efforts
21 May 2026
Through a partnership supported by grant funding from the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate, the Mosselbank River Conservation Team (MRCT) has expanded its efforts to rehabilitate the Mosselbank River in Fisantekraal. Since launching activities at the end of February 2026, the team has removed more than 1,3 tonnes of litter from the river system.
The City of Cape Town continues to strengthen environmental rehabilitation efforts through grant funding support to community-based organisations working to protect and improve local waterways and wetlands.
The Mosselbank River Conservation Team (MRCT) is one of the City’s 22 grant funding recipients for 2026. They will use the funding to employ River Guardians, do river maintenance activities, restore riverbanks and improve the river’s environmental health. The organisation’s targeted area of work is the Eastern Tributary of the Mosselbank River and wetlands within the Diep River Catchment, specifically in Fisantekraal.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, and Ward 105 Councillor, Francois Berry, joined the MRCT for their Earth Day event on 18 April 2026, where more than 100 trees and 200 plants were planted alongside the riverbank.
The event was supported by the City’s Recreation and Parks Department, the Durbanville Lions Club, Buchu Farm Pty Ltd, VULA Environmental Services, Osdam and Smuts & Co.
‘Community-driven environmental projects such as this are critical in protecting and rehabilitating our natural waterways while also creating awareness and fostering environmental stewardship among residents. The MRCT is doing important work in restoring the ecological health of this river system and helping to build more resilient communities and ecosystems for future generations,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
‘Donations and grants unlocked the ability to work effectively and consistently. With proper equipment and resources, the team could scale up operations, removing larger volumes of invasive alien vegetation, collecting and diverting more waste from the river system and actively restoring degraded areas. Support also made it possible to expand outreach and education, something that volunteer efforts alone could not sustain,’ said Danielle Cronje, Director and Co-founder of MRCT.
MRCT’s efforts focus on conserving and rehabilitating a key tributary of the Mosselbank River within the Diep River Catchment. The river plays an important role in reducing flood risk during winter rainfall while supporting biodiversity and important ecosystem services.
The area faces growing pressure from illegal dumping, windblown litter, invasive alien vegetation, erosion and fire damage.
Through regular clean-up initiatives, removal of invasive species and active restoration through replanting degraded areas, the project aims to improve the ecological health of the river system.
The initiative combines conservation work with environmental education to encourage greater community involvement and long-term protection of the river system.
The wider Fisantekraal and Greenville community will indirectly benefit from cleaner and safer open spaces, particularly residents living near the river corridor. Adjacent landowners and surrounding communities near the Mosselbank River are also expected to benefit from improved upstream water quality.
Join the next clean-up
The MRCT will be hosting their next clean-up and alien clearing event on Saturday, 23 May 2026, from 09:30. The meeting point is the MRCT’s green container on Lords Walk Street, Greenville.
Caption 1: The MRCT planted more than 135 trees during their Earth Day activities on 18 April 2026. From left are Danielle Cronje, Director and Co-founder of MRCT, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, and Ward 105 Councillor Francois Berry.
Caption 2: Over 50 residents from the local community joined the MRCT’s Earth Day Tree Planting Marathon on Saturday, 18 April 2026.
Caption 3 (Dropbox): The MRCT conducts regular clean-up activities on the banks of the river in Fisantekraal.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
