WESSA, Nedbank, Blind SA, NCPD and Cape Town unveiled South Africa’s first Braille coastal environmental education signage at Blaauwberg Nature Reserve.
The launch was officially opened by the City of Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor, Alderman Eddie Andrews, and featured a keynote address by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Willie Aucamp. Representatives from the blind community, along with key stakeholders and project partners, shared reflections on the significance of this milestone initiative. The event concluded with a live Braille reading of the newly installed signage, marking a meaningful step towards greater environmental accessibility and inclusion.
“This is a national first, and an important one. Our beaches and nature reserves may be public spaces, but for blind and partially sighted people, meaningful engagement with these environments has largely remained out of reach. For WESSA, this project says that the gap is not acceptable. For a century, WESSA has worked to enable people to care for the earth. The next century asks something more of us. It asks that we ensure everyone can experience it,” said the CEO of WESSA, Cindy-Lee Cloete.
The launch of Braille signage reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that blind and partially sighted visitors can engage meaningfully with South Africa’s coastal environments. It forms part of WESSA’s broader Coastal Programme, including the Blue Flag and Green Coast initiatives, and is grounded in the principle that South Africa’s natural heritage should be accessible to all citizens.
“For a visually impaired visitor, this means arriving at a coastal site and not having to rely entirely on another person to explain what the visual element is all about. It means being able to read with your own hands about the environment, the wildlife, the history and the significance of this place. It means being acknowledged as a person who belongs here. Looking ahead, we are excited about the possibilities for future collaboration. This launch should not be the end, but the beginning,” said Blind SA’s Abraham Allies.
The Braille coastal signage initiative forms part of a long-term accessibility pathway within WESSA’s Coastal Programme, integrating environmental protection, education and social inclusion.
“Inclusivity cannot remain a well-intended concept that lives comfortably in our strategies, policies, and speeches. Protection without access is incomplete, and sustainability without dignity is insufficient. Our coastline is a shared asset that carries ecological value, cultural memory, and public meaning, but it can only truly belong to all of us when access is intentional, inclusive, and human-centred. By bringing Braille signage to our coastal spaces, we’re proving that thoughtful design is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore dignity, independence, and a real sense of belonging for every person who comes to the shore,” said Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews.
Minister Willie Aucamp said the initiative represents a shift in how South Africa shares its environmental heritage.
“We are gathered here not simply to unveil a set of signboards, but to mark a significant step forward in how we share South Africa’s natural heritage with all her people. This revitalisation is about more than infrastructure. It is about inclusivity. We are moving from a philosophy of ‘look and read’ to one of ‘touch, listen, feel and experience.’”
Ryan Peter, Director of Coastal Development at DFFE, reinforced the importance of ensuring coastal resources benefit every citizen, while Nedbank’s Pedro Rhode highlighted the bank’s support, noting the initiative demonstrates what is possible when government, civil society, and the private sector work together.
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve was selected as the launch site as it is the first WESSA Green Coast site in South Africa, making it a strategic location to pilot the initiative ahead of planned expansion to additional Green Coast and Blue Flag sites along the country’s coastline.
