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The Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront is one of Cape Town’s busiest and most iconic destinations, drawing in around 25 million visitors a year. While known for its shops, restaurants, and stunning views, it’s also a working harbour—and an unexpected urban refuge for marine wildlife.
Cape Fur Seals and Cape Clawless Otters have made this bustling waterfront their home, and a dedicated team works behind the scenes to ensure a peaceful coexistence between humans and animals.
The People Behind the Wildlife Watch
Ayanda Cimani and Alvero Malan are two of the V&A’s Harbour Monitors, tasked with managing wildlife-human interactions. Their work includes guiding seals away from busy jetties, checking boats for seal stowaways, and reminding visitors to keep a safe distance from the animals.
Cape Fur Seals are frequent visitors to the harbour. To give them their own space, the V&A has installed two seal-only platforms. Every morning, Cimani inspects these spots for signs of injury or plastic entanglement—a growing threat to marine animals.
When seals are caught in debris like fishing lines or plastic straps, Harbour Monitors use specially designed tools to remove the entanglements safely and discreetly. Left untreated, these entanglements can tighten as the animal grows, often resulting in slow and painful deaths.
Since the Harbour Monitor program launched in 2018, more than 500 entangled seals have been freed.
“Messengers from the Ocean”
Martine Viljoen, who works at the Two Oceans Aquarium and helps oversee the Marine Wildlife Management Programme, sees the seals as “messengers from the ocean”. Their injuries and entanglements are a visible reminder of the ocean pollution crisis.
“They’re coming into the harbour entangled in loops of plastic,” she explains. “They’re showing us what’s happening out at sea.”
Not Just Seals
The harbour is also home to the elusive Cape Clawless Otter, a shy yet increasingly visible resident. Abdullah Abrahams, another Harbour Monitor, has spent the past three years tracking these creatures.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the otters expanded their roaming range, discovering new pathways across the deserted waterfront. Today, they’re known to explore hotel grounds and docks, always on the lookout for food and freshwater—an essential part of their daily routine.
To keep tabs on them, Abrahams checks hidden cameras placed near otter dens and ensures their access to safe spaces remains uninterrupted.
A Vision Since Day One
Donald Kau, a spokesperson for the V&A Waterfront, says the goal since the waterfront’s establishment in 1990 has always been clear: connect people with the ocean.
By making the harbour a place where wildlife and people can share space safely, the V&A continues to show how urban development and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand.
From monitoring seals to protecting otters, the team at the V&A Waterfront proves that even in the heart of a bustling city, there’s room for wild nature—as long as people are willing to care.
