Mosselbank River Conservation Team wins gold at the Service Excellence Awards

The Mosselbank River Conservation Team (MRCT) won the gold award as the Best Resident Performance team at the 10th Service Excellence Awards.

The team is made up of volunteers who are dedicated to protecting and preserving the Mosselbank wetlands in Fisantekraal and Greenville.

The Western Cape Government hosted the awards at Grand West Casino on Friday, September 12, and the MRCT was one of five organisations shortlisted in its category.

This category recognised a team of residents working on a project in the community, providing a service aimed at improving lives. The team had to display characteristics of commitment to cohesion and cooperating or complimenting one another.

One of the directors of the conservation team, Danielle Cronje, was proud of the volunteers who form part of the team.

“Through hard work, determination, commitment, and consistency, our team has shown what can be achieved when people come together for a cause greater than themselves,” she said.

Premier Alan Winde said: “From remarkable community champions to committed public servants, the evening reminded us of the impact people can make when they give their best in the service of others."

After seeing the environmental pollution at the wetlands, Fisantekraal resident Elizabeth Maans rallied a few neighbours and kicked off their own clean-up efforts in 2016. 

Inspired by their dedication, a local developer tasked with rehabilitating the Mosselbank River wetlands contacted Ms Maans and requested her to connect with community leaders to establish a volunteer team to get the community involved in the project. That was the birth of the Mosselbank River Conservation Team.

Since 2017, with just five passionate volunteers tackling environmental challenges at the Mosselbank wetlands, the team has grown and currently has 26 registered members, and in 2021, the organisation registered as a non-profit organisation.