Feel good about your Contribution to Conservation
Join hands with the members of BotSoc SA in finding the solutions to biodiversity challenges across the country.
JOIN NOW
RENEW
Being a BotSoc member means that you…
Are an individual with a love for nature and the outdoors who, through membership and volunteering, plays a direct role in conserving South Africa’s indigenous plant life. The funds raised by BotSoc, in the form of memberships, are put towards conservation projects and enabling branches to act locally as plant custodians. We also contribute a portion of these funds to SANBI, the custodians of South Africa’s official National Botanical Gardens, to help maintain and improve the Gardens and help support their conservation and education projects.
Member benefits
- Being part of a community of local branches nationwide offering family-friendly educational events, talks and nature walks – and support for champions of our conservation cause. Our branches currently include Albany, Algoa, Bankenveld, Cederberg, Free State, Garden Route, Kirstenbosch, Kogelberg, KZN Coastal, KZN Inland, Lowveld, Limpopo, Pretoria, Southern Overberg, West Coast and Winelands.
- Discounts at our bookshops – stocked with the latest and greatest environmental publications.
- Access to our monthly conservation insights.
- Access to resources only available to members, such as our EIA course.
- Access to our monthly plant focused webinars.
- Volunteer opportunities at a botanical garden, community park or nature reserve in your area, or with our citizen-science conservation programmes, such as the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW).
- Participating in a network of like-minded environmentally conscious individuals, citizen scientists and professionals in botany, horticulture, environmental sciences and nature conservation.
- Opportunities for support and resources to help you tackle conservation challenges in your area.
- A sense of belonging and purpose that transcends nationality, race, gender and beliefs, uniting us as guardians of South Africa’s biodiversity.
- An opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in plant conservation by leaving a bequest to the Botanical Society of South Africa.
- Access to a quarterly issue of our Veld & Flora publication – which is distributed as a digital newsletter sent via email (March, September & December) and as a printed Veld & Flora magazine in June/July.
Annual Membership RATES
NOTES: RATES VALID 1 APRIL 2023 TO 30 JUNE 2024
| Adult (18-59 years) | R 200 |
| Senior Citizens (60+ years) | R 180 |
| Student (students 18 to 35 years with current student cards) | R 100 |
| Scholar (6-17 years) | R 50 |
| Corporate Donor | Minimum R 20 000 |
NOTES: RATES VALID 1 APRIL 2023 TO 31 MARCH 2024
Adult (18-59 years): R200
Senior Citizens (60+ years): R180
Student (students 18 to 35 years with current student cards): R100
Scholar (6-17 years): R50
Corporate Donor Minimum: R20 000
Affiliate: Please contact us
STUDENT
University and student number required
SENIOR
Individuals aged 60+
Corporate Donors
Local authorities, societies, institutions, companies, corporations, firms and other artificial or juristic persons are eligible for donorship as Corporate Donors with a minimum donation of R20 000. Donors will receive a Section 18A tax certificate upon donation. To apply, please email donate@botanicalsociety.org.za.
PLEASE NOTE
Memberships are non-transferable.
All membership options are available to local and international members.
Memberships are valid for 365 days from the selected start date.
Online membership purchases are done via Webtickets.
Each adult, senior citizen and student member is entitled to 1 vote at our Annual General Meeting/Special General Meeting.
To download your digital membership card, please follow these easy steps:
- Go to webtickets.co.za.
- Log in using the email address you have registered on your existing BotSoc account. If you don’t have or recall your password, click ‘forgot password’ to reset. Enter your email address. An email will be sent to you to safely create a new password. Didn’t get the email? Click the link at the bottom of the page to get a One Time Pin sent to your phone.
- Once logged in, go to ‘My Account’ and select ‘My Memberships’.
- Your membership should appear here. If there are multiple memberships listed, identify the most recent and applicable one. Making use of the ‘Choose Action’ menu select ‘View Membership’ or “Download Memberships”.
- These barcoded digital cards can be printed or displayed on your mobile device upon entry to any SANBI National Botanical Garden. Note that the gate staff may ask for proof of ID (SA ID card or driver’s licence) if no photograph is added to your membership card details (this can be done by selecting “View Membership” and then “PHOTO REQUIRED”). We recommend saving the digital card to your mobile device, so that you can easily scan in at the gate without the need for a printed paper copy.
FAQ:
Logged in to Webtickets and not seeing my BotSoc membership?
Your membership may have been registered using a different email address.
Renewed online (via the Webtickets platform), but my cards aren’t scanning?
Please give us a call or send us an email providing us with your details and the barcodes of the cards in your possession, and we will assign your cards to a new membership. To access the gardens immediately, log on to Webtickets and select My Membership Cards, choose ‘action’ on the most recent package displayed, selecting View Membership OR Download Membership.
Do I receive a physical cards?
Any memberships purchased before 31 March 2023 (which includes free access to national botanical gardens) get barcoded physical cards. Any memberships purchased from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 (which include a 10% discount) will receive a digital membership card, as do any cards purchased after this date.
Cards can be collected at our offices in Kirstenbosch gardens from Monday to Friday, 8:30 – 16:00, excluding public holidays (no prior notice is needed for this). If you’re unable to make it during the week, please feel free to pop us an email or give us a call at least one working day ahead of time and we can arrange for them to be left at the bookshop at Kirstenbosch gardens.
What validity periods do you offer?
All BotSoc memberships are annual memberships.
How do I get permission to bring my dog to the gardens?
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) are the custodians of the national botanical gardens. The permission would depend on the garden and under organisation the jurisdiction falls (this could be SANBI or CapeNature). Visit SANBI’s website and find the contact details for your local garden to enquire.
How do I get permission to bring a chair into the gardens?
SANBI offer permits to visitors who provide them with a valid reason for bringing in a chair. Visit SANBI’s website and find the contact details for your local garden to enquire.
Can I get early entrance into the gardens?
Kirstenbosch: If your membership includes the free access benefit, you will be able to enter the garden at the Rycroft entrance from 6:30 am. This benefit will only be allowed until your current membership expires. Any memberships that include the 10% discount will not be allowed early entry.
Walter Sisulu: If your membership includes the free access benefit, you will be able to enter the garden from the main entrance from 7:00 am. This benefit will only be allowed until your current membership expires. Any memberships that include the 10% discount will need to purchase an entry ticket to the garden (on Webtickets) and then show it to the security guard before being allowed to enter.
Other gardens: Visit SANBI’s website and find the contact details for your local garden to enquire.
Does my BotSoc card get me into other nature reserves or parks in South Africa?
Unfortunately, there is no reciprocity with other organisations, the free access benefit allows members access to National Botanical Gardens only for one more year, up to end March 2024 (if you renewed your membership by 31 March 2023).
Garden entry times and rules?
Please visit SANBI’s website to find out the details for your local garden.
Is there wheelchair access at my local garden?
Visit SANBI’s website and find the contact details for your local garden to enquire.
Matters related to parking at the gardens
Visit SANBI’s website and find the contact details for your local garden to enquire.
Matters relating to Kirstenbosch golf cart tours
Visit SANBI’s website and find the contact details for your local garden to enquire.
Do you offer life memberships?
The sale of life membership has ceased with immediate effect as voted on at the National AGM on 2 July 2022.
Do you sell corporate memberships?
No, we do however have a corporate donor programme. Please email i.marti@botanicalsociety.org.za for more information.
Send any queries via email info@botanicalsociety.org.za or call us on +27 (0) 21 797 2090
Hours
Open Monday to Friday 10h00 to 14h00. Closed on weekends and public holidays.
The National BotSoc office will be closed on Friday 6 December 2024.
The National BotSoc office will close for the festive break from 12:00 (midday) on 24 December 2024 to 3 January 2025, and reopen 6 January 2025.
Contact Us
We are experiencing intermittent faults with our landlines. If you can't get through on our landline +27 (0) 21 797 2090 , please phone or send a message to our alternate WhatsApp number: +27 (0) 65 922 6163.
