Rights of Table Mountain/Hoerikwaggo

The Rights of Table Mountain / Hoerikwaggo is an initiative that seeks to secure legal recognition for the rights of Table Mountain as a living ecological entity. By reimagining the relationship between people and nature, the project aims to catalyse a paradigm shift in environmental conservation across Africa. Central to this vision is a campaign to recognise the Table Mountain range—including its flowing waters—as Hoerikwaggo, an ecological being with rights aligned with those articulated in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. These rights would include the ability to participate, through designated human representatives, in decisions that affect the mountain and its ecosystems—such as land use and development planning. Through this groundbreaking effort, the initiative will pioneer the Rights of Nature and Earth Jurisprudence approach in South Africa, with the potential to inspire similar movements globally, given Table Mountain’s profound cultural and ecological significance.