The Mpenjati Nature Reserve is situated on the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

South Coast south of

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

. The reserve lies on the Mpenjati River Lagoon. The residential town of

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England It may also refer to: Music * ''Trafalgar'' (album), by the Bee Gees Pl ...

is on the northern border of the reserve, and Palm Beach lies to the south. The reserve is managed by

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes o ...

, and consists of a system of interconnecting riverine and floodplain marsh habitats, areas of coastal forest, coastal grasslands and open coastline, as well as the river estuary. In the reserve the following bird species may be seen: water thick-knee,

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

, swift tern,

half-collared kingfisher The half-collared kingfisher (''Alcedo semitorquata'') is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that is found in southern and eastern Africa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish and frequents streams, rivers and larger bodies of water. The ...

Kittlitz's plover Kittlitz's plover (''Charadrius pecuarius'') is a small shorebird (35-40 g) in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to much o ...

African black oystercatcher The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher (''Haematopus moquini''), is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa. This near-threatened oystercatcher has a population of over ...

giant kingfisher The giant kingfisher (''Megaceryle maxima'') is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert, other than the arid southwest. Taxonomy The first Species description, ...

, black-bellied starling,

red-capped robin-chat The red-capped robin-chat or Natal robin (''Cossypha natalensis'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the C ...

white-browed scrub robin The white-browed scrub robin (''Cercotrichas leucophrys''), also known as the red-backed scrub-robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, especially East and southern Africa. Within range, its ''Tur ...

, brown scrub robin, black-backed puffback,

forest canary The forest canary (''Crithagra scotops'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montan ...

green twinspot The green-backed twinspot or green twinspot (''Mandingoa nitidula'') is an estrildid finch found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern. Subspecies The green-backed twinspot has four ...

, orange-breasted bushshrike and grey-headed bushshrike. The Mpenjati River Lagoon is also a popular venue for water-based recreation including

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

and swimming. The beach in the reserve has been used by nudists for over 20 years and was proclaimed as a

nude beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nudity, nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allow ...

in October 2014. In November 2017 the

Public Protector The Public Protector in South Africa is one of six independent state institutions set up by the country's Constitution to support and defend democracy. According to Section 181 of the Constitution: * These institutions are independent, and subje ...

declared that the proclamation of the beach as a nudist beach by the Municipality and did not follow proper procedures and prescripts. The beach continues to be used by naturists, even though the beach is not an official nudist beach. Mpenjati has two picnic sites, one on each bank of the river, the picnic sites have braai facilities, toilets, and a children's playground.

Notes and references

{{Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Parks Protected areas of KwaZulu-Natal Nude beaches KwaZulu-Natal South Coast

See also

Notes and references