Wishing all the supporters of the Kogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society a prosperous and fun filled 2026. May the fynbos of the Kogelberg Biosphere enthrall you even more this year and may your volunteering work for the Kogelberg Branch bring you many, many rewards.
The Southern Cape and Klein Karoo are definitely experiencing a severe drought situation at present with Knysna reported to only have twelve days of water supply left before the taps run dry. Even in the North Boland and Overberg things are very dry at present and just a little bit further afield the Klein Karoo, Montagu, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn have severe water shortages with farmers having to transport water onto their farms for their animals.
The current situation has developed very quickly. In July we still thought we were fine water-wise, but now even the Overstrand faces the very real prospect of water restrictions in the not-too-distant future.
Now that the new year has begun, all facets of the Kogelberg Branch will be fully functional, and it is all go for the new year.
HAROLD PORTER NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
In my opinion the gardens are not in a great state at present. The most encouraging thing is that the lawns have all been mowed and the new ride-on mower that was repaired with funds donated by the Kogelberg Branch is working very well.
The Garden remains very dry. A new borehole pump has been installed installed on the borehole but this pump appears to be too strong a pump for the reticulation system in the gardens and there have been a number of pipe breakages. It takes up to four days to get the pipe repaired and no sooner than it is repaired then there is another breakage so sections of the gardens really suffer from lack of water.
Through the Friends of the Harold Porter Gardens, we will continue to do what we can towards the maintenance of the gardens.
WEATHER
As stated earlier in these minutes, it continues to be very dry with a total of 29mm of rain recorded in December.
Since I have been keeping rainfall records (2015 – 11 Years), this is the fourth driest year since 2015. Only 2015, 2017 and 2022 recorded lower rainfall figures.
HAROLD PORTER BOOK AND CRAFT SHOP
The shop continues to perform well, and we are very happy with the December results which show a 62% increase in turnover over December 2024. The shop was very busy in the last two weeks of December and first ten days of January. If our January, February and March sales can equal those of last year, our turnover for the year will be 40% up and gross turnover in excess of R2.5m.
We continue looking to stock new items and for ways to encourage increased sales. I am personally very proud of what the shop is achieving.
At the end of January 2026, Janet Nel will have been with us a full year and what a difference she has made to the shop. She has taken a great workload off Paddy and my shoulders, she has done all the bookkeeping meticulously, she has taken over 90% of the ordering, which she has handled very competently, and has worked hard at display and sales in the shop.
Many, many customers have said that they so enjoyed Janet’s welcoming smile and helpfulness and that it was a pleasure to shop in the shop.
A big thank you, Janet, from all of us but especially from Paddy and me.
LAUNCH OF THE BETTY’S BAY BOOK – BETWEEN MOUNTAIN AND SEA
This has come and gone and it was a great success. One must admire what Skip Krige and his helpers managed to achieve in less than one year. Yes, the book has its mistakes, but it is a wonderful historical and anecdotal book about Betty’s Bay.
The launch was attended by over 250 people and, I believe, on the whole we coped with the crowds quite well.
Those who do not have a book yet, you had better visit the bookshop quickly! Skip had 800 copies printed and there are now less than 30 left for sale. I cannot see a reprint being done in the very near future. This book was a big financial loss to Skip, which he bears with a smile but on behalf of all of us, a big, big thank you, Skip Krige. You are a legend!
FRIENDS OF THE HAROLD PORTER GARDENS
Great news is that the first gardening session was on Tuesday 13 January followed by the first Thursday session on 22 January. There is so much work to be done in the gardens and I am encouraged by the enthusiasm of the gardeners to get going. Good luck to Viv von der Heyden and Jenny Pattinson and all the gardeners in their endeavours to improve the maintenance of the Harold Porter Gardens.
KOGELBERG GARDEN CIRCLE
The Garden Circle will hold its first meeting on Friday 20 February. Venue still to be announced.
Convenor: Galia Manicom Cell: 082 963 3804
Galia also is very prompt in getting members to help rescue plants before they are bulldozed over. See below.
HACKS
Betty’s Bay Hack: The monthly hack takes place on the first Saturday of each month. See Rob’s report above.
Next hack Saturday 7 February.
Convener: Rob Boyd 082 567 8858
Hangklip Hardcore Hackers: Chris Geldenhuys says that the approach this year will be the same as last year – to achieve the overall goal which is to stop or prevent the influx of aliens into the precious biosphere reserve. Everything we will do this coming year will be measured against this principle. To Chris and his dedicated team of hackers, a big, big thank you.
Convener: Chris Geldenhuys 082 900 8299.
Pringle Bay Hack: This hack takes place on the last Saturday of the month.
Convener: Chris Geldenhuys (082 900 8299).
Rooi Els Hack: The Rooi Els Hack takes place on the second Saturday of every month.
Convenor: Mike Christelis Cell: 082 467 2795
CREW
The Kogelberg Crew Team continues to do wonderful work in searching for endangered or near endangered species and recording the numbers and locations and it all helps with conservation of the fynbos in the Kogelberg Biosphere.
A big thank you to Adele Scheepers for representing the branch at Crewe and for all the work that she does.
MONTHLY TALKS
At the monthly talk on Saturday 17 January Tony Cunningham delivered a talk titled: “Angola Biodiversity (Botany, Butterflies and Birds).
Tony built on a point namely: “Biodiversity does not exist in a vacuum – it has a human face that governs the success or failure of intervention”. He discussed the challenges that lie ahead where new species are literally being discovered just as their habitats have been destroyed. Tony also considered what options there are for conservation in Angola in the future.
KOGELBERG BRANCH MONTHLY WALK
The monthly walk took place on Saturday 17 January 2026 – an enjoyable hike up Leopard’s Kloof to see the red disas currently flowering in the gorge.
CONCLUSION
2026, I believe, is going to be an exciting and hopefully rewarding year for the Kogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa. There are many plans that we intend putting in place and as they all come to fruition it will only strengthen the branch and enable us more than ever to fulfill our goal of being the leading plant conservation organization in the whole of South Africa.
As I walk through the fynbos every day, not only do I realize how privileged we are to live in this beautiful environment but also realize that we have a huge responsibility on our shoulders to preserve what we have for future generations. Our aim must be to conserve and preserve the fynbos and all the ecology that goes with the fynbos so that we leave it in a better state than we found the biosphere when we moved into the area. This is a huge challenge but one that I know the Kogelberg Branch will not shy away from. We may not get it perfectly right, but no one must be able to point a finger at us and say “but you did not give it your best, trying to conserve the fynbos.”
It is great to be up and going again and we look forward to all the activities of the branch in January 2026 and the rest of the year.
Peter Dall
082 784 4326
Email: peter@pdconsult.co.za