Blaauwberg Pilots South Africa’s First Braille Beach Signage!
Good Things Guy | 12.02.2026 18:00
Braille signage has been installed on a South African beach!
Cape Town, South Africa (12 February 2026) – Our local Blue Flag beaches are dotted with interesting and informative signboards that explain dune systems, seabirds, marine life and the history of the area. But those environmentally educational tidbits haven’t been accessible for blind and partially sighted visitors…up until now!
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) has just unveiled South Africa’s first Braille coastal environmental education signage at Blaauwberg Nature Reserve’s Eerste Steen.
“This is a national first, and an important one. Our beaches and nature reserves may be public spaces, but for blind and partially sighted people, meaningful engagement with these environments has largely remained out of reach. For WESSA, this project says: that gap is not acceptable…” says Cindy-Lee Cloete, CEO of WESSA.
The initiative forms part of WESSA’s Green Coast programme and was developed in partnership with Blind SA, the National Council of & for Persons with Disabilities, the City of Cape Town and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, with sponsorship from Nedbank and support from the Ford Wildlife Foundation.
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve was selected as the pilot site and will serve as the testing ground before these signs expand across the Green Coast and eventually at Blue Flag beaches across the country.
Braille relies on tactile sense – touch – which means that long-term durability of signage is essential.
The current plates are expected to withstand coastal conditions for at least five years, and production is geared toward creating signage that offers the best resistance to corrosion, weathering, and wear.
The production of the signs was carried out by the specialist Braille section at Blind SA in Johannesburg, where trained blind South African workers were directly involved in the manufacturing process!
“Let this pilot project at Blaauwberg serve as the blueprint for our entire coastline. We are redefining what ‘care’ looks like. It looks like a coastline where no one is excluded. It looks like a partnership that works, and it looks like a future where every South African can touch, hear, and understand the beauty of their heritage.” says Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp.
