Cape Town: The Environmental Management Department of the City of Cape Town hosted the inaugural Partner Appreciation Event on Wednesday, Dec 03, 2025 at the Smart Living Education Centre and Dome Classroom, Green Point Park. The partners at the event reflected on their longstanding collaboration with the city. The event concluded with the presentation of certificates recognising valued partnership and commitment.
Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews delivered the keynote address and said that the environment is the responsibility of both government and the citizens.
This responsibility is a shared inheritance and demands shared guardianship. Cape Town will receive benefits from a unique strategic advantage with a strong culture of organised communities, active civic stewardship, committed NGOs, respected researchers and private partners who are willing to invest in the real resources sharing common goals.
On behalf of the Environmental Management Department of the City of Cape Town, Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews said that he would like to thank all the partners for serving as guardians of the places and systems that thrives the city.
The inaugural Partner Appreciation Event was joined by the CEO of Nature Connect – Anthony Roberts, ICLEI Africa’s Bongiwe Simka and Table Mountain National Park’s – Wendy Johnson shared their collaboration experiences with the City of Cape Town and highlighted the achieved mutual benefits.
It includes, Nature Connect’s capacitation and development of over 70 staff who have transitioned into the city positions, co-learning opportunities with international delegations, River Wardens programme and the placement of 500 young people who have gained valuable work experience in the nature reserves of the city.
On behalf of the Regional General Manager: Cape Region – Bongani Mnisi, Wendy Johnson from Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) said that the City of Cape Town has shown how effective collaborative partnerships can be from coordinated fire suppression efforts to an integrated safety and security presence.
Their ongoing cooperation on environmental and wildlife matters has been strengthened by continuous communication and shared responsibilities. The Baboon Management Task Team stands as a model example of what joint planning and operational readiness can achieve. It is a partnership that truly demonstrates how well they can work together.
Notably, certificates of appreciation were first presented to the consul generals in attendance; Colin Leeman, British Consul General, and Karl-Heinz Schmitz, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany.
This was presented in recognition of their key contributions to the C40 project. The City also acknowledged its longstanding 25-year partnership with the City of Aachen, with a certificate awarded to Schmitz and Norbert Kuntz on behalf of Aachen-Kapstadt e.V., the civil society organisation supporting the partnership.
The event was also attended by the senior representatives from CapeNature, Shark Spotters, Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW), Volunteer Wildfire Services, Table Mountain Fund, Cape of Good Hope SPCA, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Cape Town Water Fund, Working on Fire, Cape Floristic Region Partnership (CFRP), National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (EDP) and C40 Cities Finance Facility, along with a range of internal partner teams from within the City.
All partners who took to the floor expressed their appreciation for the Environmental Management Department of the City of Cape Town and reiterated their commitment to continue working together in the years ahead.
Director of the Environmental Management Department of the City of Cape Town – Lorraine Gerrans concluded and said that the work in here, would not be possible without the partners. Each partner plays a vital role; whether through fundraising, building international networks or contributing unique expertise. They are truly fortunate to have such dedicated partners.
The event also marked the unveiling of the new environmental education mascot, ‘Onke the Otter’ of the City of Cape Town, who will be visiting schools, community centres and the environmental centres of the City of Cape Town to engage and educate scholars about Cape Town’s natural heritage as part of the City’s ongoing environmental education programme.