{"id":303951,"date":"2026-06-12T13:42:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T11:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/?p=303951"},"modified":"2026-06-12T15:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:25:50","slug":"princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Residents of Grassy Park and the Princess Vlei Forum (PVF<\/a>), who fought for more than a decade to preserve Princess Vlei from a proposed shopping mall development, celebrated the launch of the Princess Vlei trail after the ribbon was cut on Wednesday 10 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The launch of the R10,2 million Princess Vlei circulatory trail highlighted the collaboration between the City of Cape Town, the Princess Vlei Forum (PVF) and local communities who fought to preserve the vlei’s historical heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 4,23 km trail inside Princess Vlei Park includes: resting spaces with seating and litter bins, and a number of boardwalks and bridges where people can get closer to the water\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Local
Local residents enjoyed a walk at the park with City of Cape Town officials after the ribbon was cut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Princess Vlei is a breeding site for the endangered Western Leopard Toad (Amietophrynus pantherinus<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the opening, Ward 72 councillor Kevin Southgate reflected on the journey that led to the creation of the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany years ago, Princess Vlei became the focus of significant public debate when proposals were made to develop a shopping mall on the site,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe community responded with passion and determination, not simply by opposing the development, but by putting forward a positive vision for the future of this treasured space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community effort <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Southgate said that vision evolved into the People\u2019s Plan for Princess Vlei, developed through the Imagine Princess Vlei campaign and grounded in conservation, recreation, heritage and community ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ward
Ward 72 councillor Kevin Southgate reflected on the collaborative effort between the community and City that led to the creation of the trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, improvements at the site have included a new entranceway, paved parking areas, picnic facilities, children\u2019s play areas, a lookout platform and ongoing indigenous vegetation restoration, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe opening of this walking trail is more than the unveiling of a new piece of infrastructure. It is a celebration of what can be achieved when communities, civic organisations and government work together towards a shared vision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayco member for community services and health, Francine Higham, described Princess Vlei as \u201ca place of memory, heritage, biodiversity, recreation and deep community meaning\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo support the long-term activation and safety of Princess Vlei, we are pleased to announce that the City will deploy a dedicated ranger presence in the area from July this year,\u201d Higham said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing an overview of the project, Hugo van Niekerk from the City\u2019s planning, design and project management department explained that the conceptual development framework for Princess Vlei dates back to 2014, while detailed design work only began in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van Niekerk said the project required environmental authorisations, water-use applications, heritage approvals and extensive planning processes before construction could begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He emphasised that the design team sought to create a pathway that worked with nature rather than cutting through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrincess Vlei is more than just a public open space. It is a living, breathing landscape with a unique emotional quality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hugo
Hugo van Niekerk from the City\u2019s planning, design and project management department discussing the overview of the project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The design also took into account the site’s ecological significance, including the presence of the critically endangered Western Cape Leopard Toad and rare indigenous vegetation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Princess Vlei Forum representative Bridget Pitt described the opening as the realisation of a community dream more than ten years in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we were campaigning to stop the proposed mall development, we spent a great deal of time consulting with community members and asking them what they would like to see at Princess Vlei,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While facilities such as braai areas and children’s play areas were identified as priorities, she said the walking trail consistently emerged as one of the community’s strongest requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project has truly been the result of collaboration between the City and the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Khoi-San community activist Mary Ann Jansen said preserving Princess Vlei was also about protecting indigenous heritage and cultural identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We were involved in the struggle to have Princess Vlei declared a heritage site. It was a long battle that lasted many years, but ultimately we were successful in having it recognised and protected as a heritage site for the people,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of the Vlei and the efforts to embrace and restore Khoisan heritage paired very well, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Princess Vlei and the surrounding area are deeply significant. Adjacent to the vlei is Elephant’s Eye, where the water originates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a cave that was used by indigenous people in the past. It was a place where they sought shelter and conducted spiritual ceremonies and sacrifices. It is considered a sacred site,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a famous myth that sparked the name of the Vlei in which legend has it years ago a Khoisan princess would come down to bathe and swim in the Vlei, Jansen added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That is why Princess Vlei is much more than just a name. Everything here has a story. As indigenous people, we remain active because we want to restore our history. Many people in Cape Town do not know their true identity or their history,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrincess Vlei is much more than a name. It represents a rich cultural history and a connection to the people who lived here long before modern Cape Town existed,\u201d added fellow Khoisan community activist, Tony Jansen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Members
Members of the Khoisan movement who celebrated the launch of Princess Vlei. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among those celebrating the launch were local residents Fatima Chutler and Zureyda Raven from Retreat, who have lived in the area for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site also contains remnants of the critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos vegetation and is home to endangered fynbos species including the Marsh Heath (Erica verticillata<\/em>) and the Strawberry Spiderhead (Serruria foeniculacea<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ: <\/strong> Community invited to discuss disappearing heritage sites in Fish Hoek Valley<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new Princess Vlei trail has opened, celebrating a decade-long community campaign to protect the area from development and preserve its heritage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":303961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"78","_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_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":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_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":"6","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"[{\"keyword\":\"Princess Vlei walking trail\",\"score\":61}]","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"[\"Princess Vlei walking trail\",\"\"]","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_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":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Keanan Harmse","background_color":"","block_editor":"","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":"","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":[],"_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":[1],"tags":[7994,8263,8745,7947,9105,9705,9704,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-303951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-animals","tag-cape-town","tag-city-of-cape-town-2","tag-education","tag-history","tag-preserve","tag-princess-vlei","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nPrincess Vlei Walking Trail Celebrates Local Heritage | People's Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Residents and conservationists celebrated the opening of the new Princess Vlei trail, marking a major community victory for heritage and environmental protection.\" \/>\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\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Residents and conservationists celebrated the opening of the new Princess Vlei trail, marking a major community victory for heritage and environmental protection.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"People's Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T11:42:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T13:25:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Keanan Harmse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thepeoplespost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thepeoplespost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Keanan Harmse\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Keanan Harmse\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48bc9b674c0f16a9dcd0dd71ff589b3b\"},\"headline\":\"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-12T11:42:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T13:25:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":998,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"animals\",\"Cape Town\",\"City of Cape Town\",\"Education\",\"History\",\"Preserve\",\"Princess Vlei\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/\",\"name\":\"Princess Vlei Walking Trail Celebrates Local Heritage | People's Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-12T11:42:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-12T13:25:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"Residents and conservationists celebrated the opening of the new Princess Vlei trail, marking a major community victory for heritage and environmental protection.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"PHOTOS: KEANAN HARMSE\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/\",\"name\":\"People's Post\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Peoples Post\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/peoples-post-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/peoples-post-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Peoples Post\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/thepeoplespost\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/peoplespostnewspaper\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@peoplespostnewsCPT\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48bc9b674c0f16a9dcd0dd71ff589b3b\",\"name\":\"Keanan Harmse\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2bc95a5f9fbd149b4f0b757298e2e32b75cad9aab1c1fbabba3f1d63214b9918?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2bc95a5f9fbd149b4f0b757298e2e32b75cad9aab1c1fbabba3f1d63214b9918?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2bc95a5f9fbd149b4f0b757298e2e32b75cad9aab1c1fbabba3f1d63214b9918?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Keanan Harmse\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/author\\\/keanan-harmse\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Princess Vlei Walking Trail Celebrates Local Heritage | People's Post","description":"Residents and conservationists celebrated the opening of the new Princess Vlei trail, marking a major community victory for heritage and environmental protection.","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\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development","og_description":"Residents and conservationists celebrated the opening of the new Princess Vlei trail, marking a major community victory for heritage and environmental protection.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/","og_site_name":"People's Post","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper","article_published_time":"2026-06-12T11:42:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-12T13:25:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Keanan Harmse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@thepeoplespost","twitter_site":"@thepeoplespost","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Keanan Harmse","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/"},"author":{"name":"Keanan Harmse","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/person\/48bc9b674c0f16a9dcd0dd71ff589b3b"},"headline":"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development","datePublished":"2026-06-12T11:42:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T13:25:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/"},"wordCount":998,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg","keywords":["animals","Cape Town","City of Cape Town","Education","History","Preserve","Princess Vlei","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/","name":"Princess Vlei Walking Trail Celebrates Local Heritage | People's Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-12T11:42:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-12T13:25:50+00:00","description":"Residents and conservationists celebrated the opening of the new Princess Vlei trail, marking a major community victory for heritage and environmental protection.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"PHOTOS: KEANAN HARMSE"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/princess-vlei-trail-celebrates-community-victory-over-mall-development\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Princess Vlei trail celebrates community victory over mall development"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/","name":"People's Post","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization","name":"Peoples Post","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/peoples-post-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/peoples-post-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Peoples Post"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper","https:\/\/x.com\/thepeoplespost","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/peoplespostnewspaper\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@peoplespostnewsCPT"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/person\/48bc9b674c0f16a9dcd0dd71ff589b3b","name":"Keanan Harmse","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bc95a5f9fbd149b4f0b757298e2e32b75cad9aab1c1fbabba3f1d63214b9918?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bc95a5f9fbd149b4f0b757298e2e32b75cad9aab1c1fbabba3f1d63214b9918?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bc95a5f9fbd149b4f0b757298e2e32b75cad9aab1c1fbabba3f1d63214b9918?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Keanan Harmse"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/author\/keanan-harmse\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1797-1-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":266219,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/youth-plant-lilies-at-princess-vlei\/","url_meta":{"origin":303951,"position":0},"title":"Youth plant lilies at Princess Vlei","author":"People's Post","date":"1 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"To celebrate Youth Day, a group of young people rolled up their sleeves and planted water lilies at the Princess Vlei Park on Monday June 16.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3_43799.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3_43799.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3_43799.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3_43799.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3_43799.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":268632,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/cape-flats-wetland-gets-biodiversity-boost-as-volunteers-plant-200-indigenous-species\/","url_meta":{"origin":303951,"position":1},"title":"Cape Flats wetland Gets biodiversity boost as volunteers plant 200 indigenous species","author":"People's Post","date":"29 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Volunteers vow to serve Princess Vlei and ensure the wetland thrives and that the ecosystem is protected.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wetland","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PrincessVleiMandelaD_68766.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PrincessVleiMandelaD_68766.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PrincessVleiMandelaD_68766.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PrincessVleiMandelaD_68766.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PrincessVleiMandelaD_68766.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"People's Post","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303951"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":304026,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303951\/revisions\/304026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303951"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=303951"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=303951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}