De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, 30 May 2025 – Over the weekend of 16 and 17 May 2025, volunteers at De Hoop Nature Reserve removed more than three tons of coastal litter during the reserve’s annual beach clean-up.
Spanning a remote 16km stretch of shoreline, in the normally restricted Denel Overberg Testing Range, the clean-up effort yielded a wide array of marine debris, including buoys, rope and netting, plastic waste, and other litter – much of which is suspected to have drifted ashore from vessels passing this marine protected area.
Organised by the Morukuru Family Goodwill Foundation in collaboration with CapeNature, De Hoop Collection, and Morukuru Family De Hoop, the event, now in its fourth year, drew a diverse group of participants including the staff of the organisations.
Across the weekend:
• 50 volunteers participated
• 4+ kilometres were cleaned
• 203 bags collected
• 197 meters of rope removed
• 3.28 tons of litter were collected
“De Hoop Nature Reserve is home to endangered species like the African black oystercatcher, acts as a key release site for sea turtles, and is host to the largest gathering of southern right whales that migrate through these waters each winter. These efforts play a critical role in protecting local wildlife from entanglement and ingestion of plastics,” said Anka Zeeman, Co-Founder of Morukuru Goodwill Foundation and Morukuru Family.
The Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, in partnership with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, has sponsored the satellite tags of two green turtles– Bheni released in De Hoop Nature Reserve in December 2023 and Nori, scheduled for release once conditions are suitable.
Beyond the physical clean-up, the initiative served as an opportunity to raise awareness about the impacts of marine pollution and the role tourism can play in environmental stewardship.
“This event revolves around picking up litter, but it’s also very much about connecting people to nature in a way that lingers long after they leave. We’ve always believed that true luxury includes giving back,” added Zeeman.
“Protecting the natural beauty of De Hoop Nature Reserve is core to who we are,” said William Stephens, owner of De Hoop Collection, a member of Cape Country Routes. “It’s deeply rewarding to be part of this collective effort to clean our coastline. Regular removal of marine pollution matters, and we hope you’ll join us again next year.”
Bites Beach Café, a coastal eatery located above Koppie Alleen beach, hosted the post clean-up lunch, and highlighted their ongoing “Plastic for Coffee” initiative, which rewards beachgoers who collect litter.
Now in its fourth year, the De Hoop clean-up has become a recurring example of how purposeful action supports conservation efforts in protected areas.
-ENDS-
For more information, contact Marketing Manager, Rinse Wassenaar rinse@morukuru.com
Morukuru Family
Reconnecting family, friends, nature, and you, is the promise of Morukuru Family, a renowned award-winning hospitality group and a member of Relais & Châteaux. Morukuru Family’s three exclusive-use houses in Madikwe Game Reserve as well as Morukuru Ocean House in De Hoop Nature Reserve, each offer the ‘Morukuru Freedom Concept’ for guests to create a unique and personalised holiday. Morukuru Beach Lodge in De Hoop Nature Reserve can be booked per suite, or on an exclusive-use basis. AtholPlace Hotel & Villa in Sandton, Johannesburg, consists of a 9-room boutique hotel and a 4-bedroom private villa. Morukuru Family is dedicated to securing a sustainable future for the reserves and protecting our planet and offer specialised travel packages – Safaris with a Purpose and Coastal Conservation with a Purpose.
www.morukuru.com
Morukuru Goodwill Foundation
Morukuru Family’s commitment to conservation, community, and sustainability led to the establishment of Morukuru Goodwill Foundation (MGWF) in 2007 by owners Ed and Anka Zeeman. Working in partnership with the Parks Board and CapeNature, and together with local communities we support nature-based projects, educate, mentor and ultimately empower the conservation of Africa’s wildlife sanctuaries.
https://morukuru.com/morukuru-goodwill-foundation/
Relais & Châteaux – A Movement with Meaning
Relais & Châteaux, established in 1954, is an association of 580 unique hotels and restaurants throughout the world, owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs–most often families–who are passionate about their craft and deeply committed to forging warm, lasting relationships with their guests. Relais & Châteaux members protect and promote the wealth and diversity of the world’s culinary and hospitality traditions, to ensure they continue to thrive. They are equally dedicated to preserving local heritage and the environment, as articulated in the association’s Vision presented to UNESCO in November 2014.
www.relaischateaux.com
De Hoop Collection
Established in 2007 as the first public-private partnership in South African hospitality, the De Hoop Collection is located in the De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Western Cape’s Overberg region – just three hours from Cape Town along the scenic Garden and Whale routes. A member of Cape Country Routes, De Hoop Collection offers a range of accommodation for all budgets and is ideal for couples, families, groups, and special occasions. Guests can enjoy dining at The Fig Tree Restaurant and explore the Silo Wine Cellar, overlooking a bird-rich vlei. A World Heritage site, the reserve is renowned for its land-based whale watching, with over 260 bird species including endangered Cape Vultures nesting in the Potberg Mountains. Activities include marine walks, mountain biking, eco boat cruises, nature drives, tennis, and the newly launched De Hoop Trail – Vlei to Whales, a guided four-day hiking experience based at the new De Mond Villa. Adding a cultural dimension, De Hoop also hosts the Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition, highlighting the area’s archaeological and marine significance.
https://www.dehoopcollection.com
CapeNature
CapeNature is a public entity mandated to promote and ensure biodiversity conservation within the Western Cape. The Entity manages most of the mountain catchments and reserves that supply ecosystem services to the citizens of the Western Cape. This requires good scientific data, a sound understanding of fynbos ecology and commitment to the principles of integrated biodiversity management and planning. Most of this work is in remote areas out of the public eye but has a direct bearing on the quality of life of millions of people in the province.
www.capenature.co.za
