{"id":294968,"date":"2025-11-26T09:16:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T07:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?p=294968"},"modified":"2025-11-26T09:16:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T07:16:55","slug":"paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Tiffany
Tiffany Schultz and David Morris give a thumbs-up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The recently revived Friends of Paardevlei group celebrated a significant milestone this past month, successfully hosting their first-ever environmental “hack” events aimed at clearing invasive vegetation from the historic site.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative, which seeks to protect the area’s ecological integrity, saw community members gather on two separate occasions to tackle the spread of unwanted flora.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiffany Schultz, chairperson of Friends of Paardevlei, described the turnout as an inspiring display of communal spirit. She said the events were well-supported by various local groups, the first hack drawing about 15 volunteers.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was an inspiring day and so exciting for us to have our first official involvement in what will become a nature reserve.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schultz noted the diversity of the volunteers, which was particularly heartening, with young and old working side-by-side to reclaim the landscape.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary target of these initial hacks was Echium plantagineum, commonly known as Patterson’s Curse. While the plant is known for its vivid purple flowers, it is a highly invasive species that threatens indigenous vegetation.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The primary target of these initial hacks was Echium plantagineum, commonly known as “Patterson’s Curse”. While the plant is known for its vivid purple flowers it is a highly invasive species that threatens indigenous vegetation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The volunteers focused on clearing huge patches of the weed before the dreaded purple flowers could go to seed, a critical window of time for effective pest-plant management.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Some of the volunteers pictured at a hack event at Paardevlei.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Schultz also acknowledged the local bird club, Lourens River Conservation Society and Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement, which supported by providing staff to help clear the pathways. The event marked the first official collaboration regarding the future of the site, destined to become a formal nature reserve. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clean-up was also supported by Dave Morris of Biodiversity Management, who provided guidance to the volunteers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recently revived Friends of Paardevlei group celebrated a significant milestone this past month, successfully hosting their first-ever environmental “hack” events aimed at clearing invasive vegetation from the historic site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":294969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7902","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Tiffany Schultz and David Morris give a thumbs-up.","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Rallying against purple invaders","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["GEN_YGpaardevlei_P1","GEN_YGpaardevlei_P2","GEN_YGpaardevlei_P3"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7902],"tags":[9130,9131,9129,7909],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-294968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-biodiversity-management","tag-friends-of-paardevlei","tag-pattersons-curse","tag-recommended"],"yoast_head":"\nPaardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The recently revived Friends of Paardevlei group celebrated a significant milestone this past month, successfully hosting their first-ever environmental "hack" events aimed at clearing invasive vegetation from the historic site.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T07:16:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T07:16:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@district_mail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@district_mail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e\"},\"headline\":\"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-26T07:16:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-26T07:16:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":325,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Biodiversity Management\",\"Friends of Paardevlei\",\"Patterson's Curse\",\"Recommended\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/\",\"name\":\"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-26T07:16:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-26T07:16:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Tiffany Schultz and David Morris give a thumbs-up.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Community\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/community\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\",\"name\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/district-mail-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/district-mail-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/districtmail\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/district_mail\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/distrikspos\\\/\"],\"description\":\"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg for nine decades. DistrictMail was established as a newspaper in 1928, with the goal of keeping the communities it serves informed. Helderberg Gazette was founded in 1998, as a free title distributed to the same communities.\",\"email\":\"districtmail@novusmedia.com\",\"telephone\":\"+27218530211\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e\",\"name\":\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/author\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve","og_description":"The recently revived Friends of Paardevlei group celebrated a significant milestone this past month, successfully hosting their first-ever environmental \"hack\" events aimed at clearing invasive vegetation from the historic site.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/","og_site_name":"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/","article_published_time":"2025-11-26T07:16:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-26T07:16:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@district_mail","twitter_site":"@district_mail","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/"},"author":{"name":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/person\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e"},"headline":"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve","datePublished":"2025-11-26T07:16:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-26T07:16:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/"},"wordCount":325,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg","keywords":["Biodiversity Management","Friends of Paardevlei","Patterson's Curse","Recommended"],"articleSection":["Community"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/","name":"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-26T07:16:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-26T07:16:55+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg","width":1200,"height":900,"caption":"Tiffany Schultz and David Morris give a thumbs-up."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/paardevlei-hacks-its-way-closer-to-becoming-a-nature-reserve\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Community","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Paardevlei \u2018hacks\u2019 its way closer to becoming a nature reserve"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/","name":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization","name":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/district-mail-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/district-mail-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/","https:\/\/x.com\/district_mail","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/distrikspos\/"],"description":"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg for nine decades. DistrictMail was established as a newspaper in 1928, with the goal of keeping the communities it serves informed. Helderberg Gazette was founded in 1998, as a free title distributed to the same communities.","email":"districtmail@novusmedia.com","telephone":"+27218530211","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/person\/a2d643edb30d8c9b5b3d47ab5d6f934e","name":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40b8a06b228a6e4c9fc59fa596cafeff73f94d283340e109c8224bcfefe7872f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/author\/districtmailhelderberg\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2cdeba89-d5c8-4434-a_62382.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":302383,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/mental-health-thrives-at-busamed-paardevlei-private-hospital\/","url_meta":{"origin":294968,"position":0},"title":"Mental health thrives at Busamed Paardevlei Private Hospital","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"17 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Launched in April, Thrive@Busamed is swiftly plugging the Western Cape's mental-health care gap with expert, personalised inpatient support.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Thrive@Busamed at Busaemd Paardevlei Private Hospital.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ThriveMediasneakpeek_74037.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ThriveMediasneakpeek_74037.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ThriveMediasneakpeek_74037.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ThriveMediasneakpeek_74037.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ThriveMediasneakpeek_74037.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":263333,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/city-plans-a-win-for-biodiversity\/","url_meta":{"origin":294968,"position":1},"title":"City plans a win for biodiversity","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"29 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The plans also addressed growing concerns over proposed coastal developments that could threaten its biodiversity and heritage assets.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pd_95009.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pd_95009.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pd_95009.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pd_95009.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pd_95009.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":268959,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/locals-roll-up-sleeves-to-mark-international-coastal-clean-up-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":294968,"position":2},"title":"Locals roll up sleeves to mark International Coastal Clean-Up Day","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"25 September 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Helderberg community came out in force on Saturday (20 September) to participate in International Coastal Clean-Up Day 2025, an event that brought together more than 300 volunteers from local schools, businesses and community organisations. The initiative, led by the Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement (Hoam), successfully removed around 138 bags\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/coastal-cleanup2025-_75585.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/coastal-cleanup2025-_75585.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/coastal-cleanup2025-_75585.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/coastal-cleanup2025-_75585.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/coastal-cleanup2025-_75585.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":156547,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/heritage-site-win-for-somerset-lodge\/","url_meta":{"origin":294968,"position":3},"title":"Heritage site win for Somerset Lodge","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"14 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"While the City of Cape Town's appeal authority approved the removal of a decades-old guesthouse restriction, it rejected key aspects of the project, siding with residents over heritage preservation and urban density.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lodge_51274.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lodge_51274.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lodge_51274.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lodge_51274.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lodge_51274.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":301755,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/milestone-birthday-marked\/","url_meta":{"origin":294968,"position":4},"title":"Milestone birthday marked","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"20 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ruwyda Brinkhuis celebrated her 60th birthday at her home in 8th Street, Strand on Saturday 18 April.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruwyda Brinkhuis celebrated her 60th birthday at her home in 8th Street, Strand on Saturday 18 April.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7ee8b919-1174-4613-8_57378.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7ee8b919-1174-4613-8_57378.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7ee8b919-1174-4613-8_57378.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7ee8b919-1174-4613-8_57378.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7ee8b919-1174-4613-8_57378.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":270627,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/somerset-oaks-celebrates-golden-oldies\/","url_meta":{"origin":294968,"position":5},"title":"Somerset Oaks celebrates golden oldies","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"6 November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Somerset Oaks hosted a special celebration tea on Saturday 11 October, to honour 14 community members aged 90 and older, including Cathy White who is preparing to turn 100 years old this month.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cathywhite_85407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cathywhite_85407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cathywhite_85407.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cathywhite_85407.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cathywhite_85407.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294968"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=294968"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=294968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}