The Princess Vlei Forum lost a very good friend with the passing of Graham Lashbrooke, who died on Midwinter’s Day, 21st June 2020, at the age of 80. 
From the founding of Princess Vlei Forum in 2012, Graham and his wife Mea were enthusiastic supporters of the campaign to save Princess Vlei from the destructive development of a shopping mall. Mea served on the management committee for several years, and Graham was always a willing participant in all events held by the Forum, including planting, picketing and parades. Graham also assisted as election officer in various Annual General Meetings. 
   Beyond his contribution to the environment, Graham was a passionate educator and understood that education provides the route forward. His field was information technology. For more than four decades, his training school transformed the lives of young people by enabling their careers in the IT industry. 
   Graham’s natural skill at bringing people together, coupled with his passion for education, led him to his role as founding member in 2004 of what today are two vibrant centres for education:  LEAP Maths and Science Schools http://leapschool.org.za/and TSIBA Business School https://www.tsiba.ac.za/ . To enable access to education and skills for students who could not afford the conventional route drove Graham until the end of his life. ​
    We salute Graham for his dedication to improving the lives of others, and for helping to defend our natural world from destruction. 
    We would like to offer our deepest condolences to Mea and family in this sad time. 

 
The Princess Vlei community lost a great stalwart with the passing of Dr Graham Noble in July. Graham was passionate about the environment, and about civic participation. 
    Graham was a  long standing member of the GCTCA, serving as treasurer and secretary at different times. He has spent many years in a spirited engagement with the City about community issues. When the Princess Vlei was threatened by the destructive development of a shopping mall on its banks, the GCTCA was one of the leading organisations to take up the struggle against the City, and Graham didn't hesitate to step in.
    Graham spent long hours gathering information and documents from the City, and was one of the main mobilisers of the early resistance to the mall. Thanks to his efforts and that of other community members, the City's Spatial Development and Land Use Management committee turned down the bid to develop the shopping mall. This decision was then overturned by the provincial Department of Environment, and the community and concerned organisations came together again to form the Princess Vlei Forum. Graham was one of the founding members of the Forum, and was very active in the campaign that followed. His meticulous attention to detail, and persistence in tracking documents, enabled the collection of critical evidence regarding the shopping mall bid, which helped to uncover some serious irregularities and possible fraud. This formed the basis for a case laid by the Forum with the Public Protector, and later for the case laid by Kelvin Cochran with the Hawks. The Forum was building a case against the City, when the City agreed to scrap the mall development. There is no doubt that Graham's dedication played an important part in this community victory. 
   In addition to his work on Princess Vlei, Graham was chairperson of the Scarborough Ratepayers Association, and very active in promoting a harmonious relationship between the human and wild animal community in that area. This included active efforts to save the baboons from extermination and injury by irate residents. 
     The Forum will sorely miss Graham's contributions to the organisation. We would like to pass sincere condolences to his wife and family. 

This Blog post was written by Zoë Chapman Poulsen and commissioned by the Botanical Society of South Africa. It was first published by the Botanical Society at https://botsocblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/03/community-and-partnerships-restoration-planting-at-princess-vlei/.  Photos: Zoë Chapman Poulsen and Bridget Pitt

​Thanks to the Botanical Society Kirstenbosch Branch for their generous contribution of funds, expertise and time. Volunteers from the Lions Club and Princess Vlei Forum community also assisted.   

On Saturday 25 July the Princess Vlei Forum (PVF), in partnership with the Botanical Society of South Africa Kirstenbosch Branch, held a planting event at The Greater Princess Vlei conservation area in Cape Town. More than 3 000 plants were planted on the day. The extinct in the wild Whorled Heath (Erica verticillata) and critically endangered Serruria foeniculacea were reintroduced for the first time. This event forms part of the ongoing pioneering ecological restoration taking place at the vlei, with multiple stakeholders, specialists and international partners. 
   Located on the Cape Flats near the suburbs of Fairways, Southfield, Heathfield, Grassy Park, and Retreat, Princess Vlei forms the gateway to the wetlands system of the False Bay Ecology Park, encompassing Rondevlei, Zeekoevlei and Zandvlei. This extensive wetland reserve forms an important community and heritage space, as well as habitat for birds and the endangered Western Leopard Toad. 

The Covid19 Lockdowns have put a temporary brake on our community and school planting. However, plants need to be put in the ground early in the rainy season, and sadly we can't wait until lock down is lifted and our young and old nature guardians are able to come and help us again. 

Alex Lansdowne has been hard at work preparing and smoking the seeds that have been collected especially for restoration from Princess Vlei and nearby sites. 

On June 1, as soon as Level 3 was declared, volunteers from the Kirstenbosch Botanical Society, including the chairperson Keith Kirsten, and Chris Moir, and the Princess Vlei Forum, joined  City of Cape Town officials, Alex Lansdown, Elzanne Singel,  and the manager Denisha Anand in putting seeds and bulbs in the ground. The seeds of about 30 species of ephemeral Strandveld and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos species were broadcast, and about 60 Pelargonium triste bulbs were planted. In addition, Keith and Chris each planted a Serruria foeniculacea - the critically endangered Rondevlei Spiderhead which we are reintroducing to Princess Vlei this year. 

We are extremely grateful to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Society for their very generous donation of R20 000 to assist with the restoration project. 

For the rest of the urgent restoration work, including clearing aliens and rubble as well as planting, Alex is working with a team of specialised workers. The workers will receive training in restoration while they do the work. Through these means, we are keeping the project on track. Our young nature guardians and community volunteers will be able to help us with monitoring the progress of the new plants later in the year. 

​Just before the lockdown was declared, 30 young scientists and nature guardians from Levana Primary Harmony Primary came to Princess Vlei to find out about all the species that make up a wetland family.
 
Before setting out, Forum members reminded the learners to treat all the creatures they encountered with great respect, and to ensure that none were harmed in the process of studying them. The learners then went out in teams with data sheets to note down observations of what they found.
 
A number of creatures were observed, but for many the highlight of the visit was finding a cluster of young Western Leopard toadlets hiding under a rock. The rock was in the magic spiral garden which school learners planted two years ago, and which is now really starting to flourish.
 
Several other creatures were observed, including Blacksmith lapwings, Redbilled Teals, butterflies, bees, ladybirds, grasshoppers, dragon flies and fish.
 
This was to be the first of two sessions – in the following week, the learners were due to create dream catchers representing the web of life that is found in a thriving wetland. Unfortunately, the lockdown prevented this from taking place, but we look forward to the day when we can complete this process.
 

To the dragonfly nymph of Princess Vlei, thank you for allow us to visit your eco-system. You make me feel as if I have a duty to keep your environment safe. I promise to respect your habitat (water) and protect it from pollution, whenever I see someone polluting it - Damica Fortuin Lotus High school
 
To the butterfly of Princess Vlei Thank you for standing out so beautifully. You make me feel happy when I catch a tiny sight of your beautiful wings. I promise I won’t destroy any flowers - Caithlin Davids Zeekovlei High School
 
These messages were written by learners to express their gratitude to the creatures of Princess Vlei, during the World Wetlands Day event on February 3. Nearly 200 learners from Lotus High and Zeekovlei High attended the event, which was hosted jointly by the Princess Vlei Forum (PVF) and the Western Cape Wetlands Forum (WCWF).

The international theme for the day this year was Wetlands and Biodiversity – highly relevant as our planet is faces catastrophic loss of biodiversity due to Climate Change, plastic waste, industrial pollution and habitat loss. Wetlands, which support a wide range of species, and serve as nurseries for fish, amphibians and other aquatic animals, are the most threatened ecosystems.  
 
The Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area is one of many important urban wetlands in Cape Town. An important part of the Princess Vlei Forum’s mission is to foster a love of the wetland and nature amongst our younger residents. The day offered learners many opportunities to experience the biodiversity at the vlei.
 
The Western Cape Wetlands Forum is devoted to sharing information and expertise for the protection, management and restoration of wetlands in the Western Cape. It is supported by the Departments of Environmental Affairs and Water and Sanitation; Cape Nature, City of Cape Town, among others.
 
Learner were welcomed by Margo Adonis, the Miss Earth South African Ambassador. Adonis told learners that the older generation had failed them by failing to take proper care of the environment. The children were also welcomed by Denisha Anand (Princes Vlei Forum) and Kate Snaddon (Western Cape Wetlands Forum).
 
The learners were divided into groups, and rotated between six activity stations, which each gave them a different way of experiencing the wetlands.
 
A highlight for all the learners was the opportunity for a short canoe ride – this was provided by Gravity Adventures. After kitting up in life jackets and learning some principles of paddling, the children set out for a short paddle on the water – for many their first experience of being on a boat.

​Noloyiso Dlamini and other CapeNature educators used various filtration mediums to show how wetlands act effectively as filters to clean water.

The Cape Bird Club introduced the feathered members of the Princess Vlei community. Children were given an identification chart, and ciscussed the importance of birds in a wetland ecosystem. The children learnt how to use binoculars, and the birdclub members helped them to spot and identify birds from the charts. “The children showed great excitement when they could use the binoculars properly, but spent quite a lot of time looking at things not related to birds!! Fortunately others got very excited about the birds as well,” said Gillian Barnes of the CBC. 36 Species were spotted on the water or flying past, including Red-knobbed Coot, Egyptian Goose, Greater Crested Grebe, Common Moorhen, Great White Pelicans, Jackal Buzzards, Gulls, Herons, Cormorants and Terns and smaller birds that live in the reeds surrounding the vlei.

​The Cape Town Environmental Education Trust got the kids moving with a “Race to save the earth”. “Our aim was to make learners aware of the function of wetlands as habitats. Learners were also made aware of the human impacts and the possible solutions to not just wetlands but the environment as a whole. Learners enjoyed this game as it also opened their mind to other environmental issues.” Said Nondumiso Myataza. She was helped Phindile Gazu

​After a busy morning, the leaners were happy to sit under the trees and enjoy the Jungle Theatre’s performance of  the Python and the Qunube Tree.  Based on an African folktale, the story tells of  how the little tortoise saves the animals by breaking the cycle of the drought and freeing the Qunube berries for all the animals to eat. The play featured puppets, hilarious animal masks and beautiful singing, and was performed by Vincent Meyburgh, Siyawandisa Badi and Naledi Tlailane.

Children were given a burger from Abenaki Spur Steak Ranch  and a stationery pack from Shoprite before leaving.

​Speaking afterwards, Shafiek Isaacs of Lotus High School said, ‘The learners really loved the event – it was a great way to give them an experience of Princess Vlei and to learn something about the wetlands. So many of them now want to sign up with our eco-club.”
 
Sponsors for the event include the WWF-SA; Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth,  which funds the Princess Vlei Forum’s educational program;  Abenaki Spur Steak Ranch and the Grassy Park Spar. Shoprite donated stationery packs to participants.
 
Huge thanks to Shaddai Daniel-Harris & Phillip Frenzel for initiating and co-ordinating the event with the Princess Vlei Forum. Thanks also to all the many other volunteers who helped with the event.

Mrs Cicilia Johnson, who has spent 64 of her 88 years near the vlei, was also passionate about saving Princess Vlei, and was involved in planting milkwood trees at the vlei. She was very inspired by the natural beauty of the place, and wrote a moving poem to describe the pleasure the serenity of the vlei brought to her:
 
We offer our deepest condolences to Mrs Johnson, her children, and other family members. We have no doubt that the spirit of Mr Edward Johnson will continue to dwell on the banks of Princess Vlei.

​We know a lot more about toad activity around Princess Vlei, thanks to the members of the Lotus Princess Guardian Club who attended the overnight Western leopard Toad Camp at Princess Vlei Eco Centre
The learners were guided in their work by the Western Leopard Toad workbook that was created by the Forum’s environmental education team last year.
The eight learners gathered at the eco centre on the morning of December 12, and began with a door to door survey to discover how many neighbouring residents had spotted toads in their gardens. A number of residents reported toad activity. This survey not only gathered valuable data on toad numbers, but also helped to spread awareness of these vulnerable creatures amongst local residents. 

​After a lunch break, learners investigated the Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area for breeding activity, and mapped out the data onto a map. A good session of alien clearing and litter picking worked up their appetites for an evening braai.
In the evening learners had the opportunity for a night walk with the Park rangers to spot the toads, which are most active at night. A number of toads were seen.
In the morning the learners discussed how they could raise awareness about the plight of the endangered toads, and encourage local residents to help save them by moving them off roads and watching out for them while driving.
These new toad scientists will be valuable in the battle to ensure the survival of one of Cape Towns most endearing creatures. 

Connecting with nature is essential to help us heal ourselves and the planet.
This was one of the many messages that the Lotus Princess Guardians took away from the  3rd Edition of the Tounché Global Consciousness Summit in Tulbagh on November 30. The word tounché (Pronounced /toon-shei/) means shift in the Yorouba language of Benin & Nigeria. The project aims to forge deep connections around the world to create an international community that can manifest healing and change. 
The Princess Vlei Forum was invited to send young nature-lovers to the international summit. Six learners and one teacher assistant from Lotus High went to the event, with two other Forum members and Priscilla de Wet, a Khoi cultural activist and teacher from Primrose Park Primary.
The summit aimed to offer participants an opportunity to interact with and learn from top healers, activists and facilitators who shared wisdom and real-world experiences, aimed at restoring the harmony between humanity and nature. Attending the event were a mixture of international thought-leaders, wisdom keepers, global experts, spiritual visionaries, healers, storytellers and meditation teachers representing the diversity of the African diaspora and the world, as well as several members from local NGO’s.

'​It was a day of new experiences for the Lotus Learners. As Nicole Anthony remarked,  ‘There are so many people involved and I didn’t even know that there are so many things  that the people are doing… it’s actually a big thing, how you can connect with nature…’
The program opened with an interview with Simon Jongenotter, originally from THE Netherlands but now the Chef/co-creator of Zest Ubud, the food at Bali Silent Retreat, food forest custodian and founder of the New Earth Cooking School. All the Lotus Learners were very inspired by his philosophy. In the words of teacher assistant Curtley Fortuin,  ‘I enjoyed Simon’s speech about how he would collect everyone in his work place and make them all happy, and see if someone is sad, or someone is angry, and then everybody help that person in the workplace, and that really was interesting because a lot of  bosses  won’t take that interest in a worker … “
Curtley was also inspired by Simon’s  message to connect with your inner child. ‘when Simon was talking about finding your inner self, your little wild child self, because that child was free, and that child didn’t care about what anyone else thinks Because now that we are grown up, we always think about what other people think … that’s why if we find our inner self we will be more free and carefree about anything and we will still be mature but we will be less worried about what other people might think 

​Simon’s talk was followed by a panel discussion with Annette Muller, an international model turned Green Witch; Portia Dianne Lee (USA), founder of DBA Day Seven Wellness Center, a non-profit wellness center focused on providing our global community with access to proven and practiced strategies helping to heal and contribute to the human collective’s overall emotional and spiritual wellbeing;  and  Melissa Bartholomew (USA)Racial justice and healing practitioner, Racial Justice Fellow at Harvard Divinity School (HDS), and an Instructor in Ministry at HDS, Doctoral candidate & part-time faculty at Boston College School of Social Work.
The panel spoke about the need to heal the inside and the outside, and to re-establish our connections with the earth and each other; and reflected on the deep woundedness inflicted on the natural and human world by colonialism and racial injustice. In the words of Portia Lee, ‘If a land has no collective atonement the trauma is still in the body and in the world. When something happens that trauma can be triggered.’ 

​After the Panel discussion, the group from the Princess Vlei Forum was invited to say a few words. Bridget Pitt spoke about the history of Princess Vlei, and the intersection of painful historical narratives rooted in the space, and the ways in which the Forum tried to use the space to bring healing to the community. Damica Fortuin said ‘I am a member of the princess Vlei Guardians, well I basically realised that people fail to recognise how we neglect nature, the guardians help to minimise pollution, we clean up the vlei, we plant.’
Nicole Anthony said, ‘Princess Vlei really showed me how important nature is and also drew me closer to nature, and helped me to accept nature… because not many people see what we see, in the way of how important nature is. So we try to get Princess Vlei to be how it was in the beginning and show the importance of the birds and animals at Princess Vlei. So we are the custodians of nature, and we are the guardians of Princess Vlei’s future.’
Curtley Fortuin reflected on his own journey, from a young boy who cared nothing about nature and would kill snakes for fun, to becoming a nature warrior. ‘In grade 8 I met an interesting teacher, Mr Isaacs, who drives us all and drives the school. I got punished, and he said I must go work in the garden  for two weeks, and that changed me. I saw two of the most interesting birds, I saw a pintailed wydah, and I thought, wow, this is different, because where I come from, we don’t see that, because I grew up in the kind of Ghetto area of Cape Town; and then I saw a Southern double collared sunbird and that was the most beautiful bird I’d ever seen. Then I was asked by an environmental organisation called CTEET to be an international ambassador for them because of the work I’d done at the school and the trees we’d planted in the community. They paid for my studies to go and study nature conservation. So now I love nature.’
People were very interested in the project, and particularly taken by our t-shirts.

​Next on the programme was a poem performed in isiXhosa by a member of the #Langaformen, a group dedicated to combating gender based violence by working with men and boys. This too had a very profound impact on the Lotus team. In the words of Damica Fortuin, ‘basically they were saying that they would never abuse women and women should be respected, so I think for us young girls, we should discuss how we should be treated, and we should respect ourselves, and see how men are supposed to treat us, and stand up if we see someone getting abused don’t just keep quiet.’
The morning ended with a healing session, lead by Silfath Pinto (Benin),  a mindset reprogramming and energy healing practitioner. Silfath also made a deep impression on the Lotus learners. Jody Maans spoke about how she enjoyed the breathing and movements. ‘There’s a lot of stuff to take in in our lives … and the stretches and stuff that she showed us, like the morning stretches, that’s how you release it.’
Jae-Lee Marthinus was touched by a technique to put your hands on your heart to shield it from harm. Reflecting on how she could take this knowledge into her life, she said, ‘if I get into and argument with my friends, I will just lay back and cover my heart with my hands.’

​After lunch, there was an interview with Gary Dourdan (USA), a highly acclaimed film and TV actor, artist and musician who turned his back on a celebrity life to reconnect with nature and his ancestors. Gary spoke about the need to cultivate lightness. Curtley Fortuin found his input extremely inspiring. ‘When Gary talked about how his daddy wasn’t rich or anything and then from a car wash his daddy became a multi millionaire and that really took me in because it shows you can do anything. I also loved Gary’s life story as well, and about how he still connects to his ancestors and still speaks to them and connects to them, and how he connects to earth. That also really inspires me.’
 
Gary’s interview was followed by a panel discussion with Catherine Constantinides (South Africa) International climate  and human rights activist, Archbishop Tutu African Oxford Fellow and Mandela Washington Fellow;  SARAH COLLINS (SOUTH Africa Inventor, CEO and equality innovator, Fortune Magazine’s Top 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, Oprah’s African Heroines, Fair Lady’s prestigious Woman of the Future Award and 2019 Forbes Africa’s top six wealth creators on the continent ; and  Thebe Ikalafeng (South Africa), Founder & CEO Brand Leadership Group, Founder & Chairman Brand Africa who has worked on over 100 brands across Africa, and has been to every country in Africa.

​Gary then delighted the group with a musical performance. Damica Fortuin said, I loved this one song that Gary was singing, called “God is a woman” … its basically showing that a woman is independent and a man actually needs a woman … a woman … she nurtures you and she feeds you so its basically showing that a man needs a woman to be successful. People think a woman is weaker than a man but women actually have the real strength.’ 

Speaking afterwards, the Lotus learners reflected on the message of the need to connect with nature, not only to save planet from environmental destruction, but to save ourselves from mental distress and depression. Nicole Anthony said, 'we need to connect with nature  by planting more plants will make you more connected because now that you have planted this plant you are going to look after it because you planted it so that actually means a lot to you ... you put it into the ground to be part of nature … and cleaning up because, the dirt and stuff, nature don’t want that and we don’t want that for nature; and we can connect by talking to  to people about nature, give them advice and tell them what nature has done for you … so that they can also connect to nature and see the importance of it …and just sitting there and looking at the plants.”
 
Curtley reflected that connecting with nature can get more difficult when you get older. “It’s very funny also how when you’re younger you connect more with nature even though you don’t know anything about nature but when you grow older you start to disconnect with nature even though you know so much more about nature… you want to connect, but you don’t have that connection you had when you were younger and you didn’t know what nature does for everything … so that is really interesting.
 
He felt that people can connect with nature from the inside by learning about and ingesting healing plants, rather than turning to drugs to make you feel better.  

The day certainly brought many shifts these learners, and to all of the Princess Vlei team. We would like to thank the organisers and sponsors for giving our young nature guardians this remarkable opportunity. Read more about the event and the project here: https://www.tounche.com/south-africa-20