MARiS Makes a Difference for Mandela Day Marina Clean Up 2026

Cape Town, South Africa — In the true spirit of Mandela Day 2026, the University of Cape Town's Marine and Antarctic Research Centre for Innovation and Sustainability (UCT-MARiS) joined forces with the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC), Dive Action, the UCT Department of Biological Sciences, Averda Waste Management, and a dedicated team of volunteer divers and community members to remove more than 509 kilograms of marine debris from beneath Cape Town's marina.

Held on Saturday, 18 July 2026, the collaborative underwater cleanup demonstrated how science, community partnerships and environmental stewardship can come together to create meaningful and lasting impact for South Africa's coastal ecosystems.

The cleanup targeted the marina's Cat Corner, covering approximately 7,000–8,000 square metres between the JK Walkway, Q Walkway and Albatross Wall—an area where debris had accumulated over many years through boating activities, harbour operations, stormwater runoff and wind-blown litter.

A Community United Beneath the Surface

The initiative mobilised 20 volunteer divers, supported by 15 surface support volunteers, who worked together to recover, sort and responsibly dispose of submerged waste. Throughout the operation, divers and support teams safely retrieved debris ranging from large industrial items to everyday litter, while ensuring marine organisms caught within the debris were carefully returned to their natural habitat.

The cleanup was conducted under the supervision of Andrea Plos (Principal Technical Officer, Department of Biological Sciences), Commercial Class III Diving Supervisor, and Sarah Carter, PADI Instructor and Dive Supervisor, Dive Action, ensuring the highest standards of operational safety throughout the event.

Averda Waste Management generously sponsored the waste disposal skip, enabling all recovered material to be responsibly processed.

More Than 500 kg of Marine Debris Recovered

By the end of the cleanup, volunteers had successfully removed 509.45 kilograms of submerged waste, including:

• Eight vehicle tyres weighing over 274 kg
• Scrap metal and marine hardware
• Plastic packaging and piping
• Rope, fishing line and wire bundles
• Fibreglass panels
• An electric drill and buffer/polisher
• Timber, textiles, glass bottles and general marine litter

MARiS Science Communicator, Leila Nefdt, was tasked to assist Andrea with activities coordination and capturing footage and data from the clean up. She also shared that various marine wildlife including Cape chitons, sea cucumbers and crabs were also found sheltering within or trapped by debris and were safely released during the cleanup.

The recovered waste highlights the ongoing challenge of marine pollution within working harbours and demonstrates the importance of continued monitoring, public awareness and collaborative conservation initiatives.

Collaboration Driving Ocean Stewardship

The success of the cleanup reflects the strength of partnerships between academia, conservation organisations, industry and the broader community.

By combining scientific expertise, volunteer action and environmental responsibility, the initiative not only improved the ecological health of the marina but also reinforced the importance of collective action in protecting South Africa's marine ecosystems.

As a centre committed to advancing marine and Antarctic research while promoting public engagement and sustainability, UCT-MARiS is proud to support initiatives that translate research into meaningful environmental action.

"Mandela Day reminds us that meaningful change begins with service. By working together across organisations and communities, we can make a measurable difference in protecting our oceans while inspiring others to become environmental stewards. This cleanup demonstrates exactly what can be achieved when collaboration meets purpose."

Looking Ahead

Following the success of this year's event, the partners hope to establish regular collaborative marina cleanups, strengthening long-term partnerships and continuing efforts to reduce marine pollution in Cape Town's working waterfronts.

UCT-MARiS looks forward to building on this momentum through future citizen science, conservation and community engagement initiatives.

Watch this space—this is only the beginning.