Who we are
The Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) was founded in 1891 in Cape Town, and is member of the world mountaineering body, the UIAA. The MCSA offers mountaineering which includes climbing of all types and hiking opportunities to its members and is involved in mountain search and rescue, training, conservation of mountain areas and procurement of access for mountaineering.
Join a Section
The Club consists of 15 Sections, geographically distributed. Contact the section nearest to you to join in activities, or for buying permits for different hiking venues, where permits have to be obtained. Membership in the MCSA also happens on Section level, so if you want to become a member please find the section nearest to you. If there is none, maybe consider starting one?
Emergencies
If in trouble in the mountains contact the nearest emergency number as listed here:
MCSA News
Newsletter February 2026
Download: MCSA February 2026 Newsletter (pdf, 11 Mb)
How a Comp Climber Sees the 2025 International Competition Season
Whether you climb rocks or train on plastic, you’ll understand the shared South African dream of wanting to climb overseas. This year, another special group of local talent had the privilege of wearing our green [...]
WALKING THE TRA TRA – MCSA member’s entry for the UIAA’s Mountain Protection Award – announced winner of The Best New Initiative award!
Pieter Holtzhausen is a member of Hottentots Holland Section, has had a close relationship with the Wupperthal community, having raised funds for the rebuilding of the town after a previous disasterous fire that swept through [...]
News items of national interest should be sent to news@mcsa.org.za.
UIAA News
International mountaineering news fresh from the UIAA website.
- UIAA accredits first testing lab in North America
- UIAA statement on future of training activities
- Nominees confirmed for 2025 UIAA Mountain Protection Award
- The UIAA and Namah Ropes agree partnership
- New format for UIAA Annual Report
- Save the date: UIAA Mountain Sports Symposium in Peja, Kosovo
- Mountain Voices Series 2 concludes with Kilian Jornet interview
- Rescheduling of future UIAA General Assemblies
- UIAA plays pivotal role across a month of strategic meetings
- UIAA co-authors guide to installing and replacing bolts on climbing routes