Programme
9 September 2025
Dalton Gibbs and the endangered Erica verticillate
Dalton Gibbs was for 18 years conservation manager the City of Cape Town’s southern reserves, including Zandvlei. He is currently the conservation manager for all the northern reserves in the city.
For 32 years he was involved in conservation work for the City, mainly in the conservation of the Cape Flats lowlands.
He played a central role in rescuing the endangered Cape Flats erica, Erica verticillate, from extinction, about which he will be talking.
16 September 2025
Nature-based solutions for treating polluted stormwater into waterways.
He is an emeritus professor in Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape and an executive member of the Future Water Institute there. Prof Winter has post graduate degrees from both UCT and London University.
He is a leading member City’s Water Quality Committee which helps to support the City in its efforts to manage significant challenges of water quality in our waterways, wetlands and shorelines.
23 September 2025
From windswept wasteland to waterside sanctuary: celebrating 50 years of Marina da Gama
Marina da Gama is celebrating its 50th anniversary. To commemorate this landmark, Patrick McKenna and Marina expert Gerald Rosenthal are collaborating to publish a book telling the fascinating story behind South Africa’s first marina development.
Join them for exclusive insights into the people whose talent, vision and “fanatical” planning turned this desolate sandscape into one of South Africa’s most successful residential developments. From the birth of the vision on a recce flight in 1969 to Anglo American’s withdrawal in 1975 and beyond, this one is a story for the ages.
30 September 2025
WHALE NATION
By Heathcote Williams, as performed by celebrated local thespian David Muller
A powerful epic poem about whales and their tragic exploitation leading to the near extinction of numerous species, which led ultimately to their world-wide conservation.
David Muller’s voice brought Whale Nation alive in the aquarium’s amphitheatre, where the whales’ grace and music met human cruelty. Against living blue beauty, he left us in wonder and shame, Williams’ truth resonating beneath the sea.
Karen Rutter
David embodied Hopkins’ ‘earth’s eye, tongue and heart,’ merging man, beast, and nature. Whale song and ocean silence drew us into a pristine, transformative realm, leaving me changed—as if returned from the deep.
Noel Gillespie
Haunting and unforgettable, Whale Nation blends Williams’ poetry with Muller’s stirring performance, carrying us beneath tranquil seas until greed shatters peace. Poignant as whale song, it compels first-time and returning audiences to witness its singular power.
Lieske Bester