The City of Cape Town has committed to donating R60 000 per year to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) for the next three years.
According to Alderman Eddie Andrews, deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, the donation is intended to compensate the non-profit organisation for its operational costs associated with the towing of marine wildlife that becomes stranded along Cape Town’s coastline.
Also read: Watch: NSRI helped a stranded sunfish find its way back home
The agreement, according to IOL, is valid until 31 January 2026 and can be renewed at the end of that time. Alderman Andrews explained that the donation to the NSRI is made possible by a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed with the City’s Coastal Management Branch.
He said:
‘The NSRI is always helping out with their vessels when whales get stranded on our beaches or rocks. The donation will assist with their fuel and operational costs. R60 000 may not seem like a lot of money, but we believe it will still make a huge difference.’
He told IOL that the NSRI provides an invaluable service to the public and Cape Town in general when it comes to marine emergencies and that even if all of this money is not used for marine animal towing, it will be spent on worthy causes as the NSRI sees fit.
He reportedly stated that the City valued its relationship with the NSRI and wished to continue building on this partnership to improve ocean safety and response to marine emergencies.
‘The NSRI has a pivotal role to play when it comes to community education and awareness of the ocean environment,’ Andrews said.
According to IOL, NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson expressed gratitude to the City for the financial contribution.
‘Our NSRI volunteers, on duty 24 hours a day every day of the year, are proud to be part of the primary response network that makes up the City of Cape Town Marine Animal Stranding Network, and this financial contribution benefits these combined efforts in making a difference as one community with this shared common goal,’ Robertson said.
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Picture: NSRI / Facebook