The presentations were really excellent. I took out valuable insights from all three addresses. I really appreciated meeting other people working in the field…I have new fundraising ideas…
This was some of the feedback from the twenty six people from twelve community conservation organisations who attended the Princess Vlei Forum’s Growing Community Conservation Workshop held at Zandvlei on 27 August. The workshop was organised in partnership with Friends of the Liesbeek.

, and Zandvlei Trust for the The workshop began with an address from Dr Kevin Winter urban waterway specialist and lecturer in Environmental and Geographical Sciences at UCT, who spoke on  building partnerships and working with the City.
      Dr Winter reflected that working with the City on the Liesbeek River had often been fraught, but the water crisis in 2016 had brought about a significant shift in attitude. The City had realised that Day Zero could only be averted by the City working in partnership with the community, leading to their slogan changing from This City works for you to Making progress together.
      He spoke about the importance of having a theory of change in formulating the strategy for an organisation. He said that for change to come about you needed a partnership of four critical elements: Local government, Civil society, Academia and industry. He praised the recently  established Mayoral Advisory committee on water ways and wetlands as a significant ship in facilitating this partnership.
      Dr Winter also reflected on the changes in Cape Town over the past 50 years, with the population quadrupling in size. The provision of housing had been driven by a 40X40X40’ model - 40m2 in size; build 40 km from places of work and amenities, and costing the residents R40 in transport fees.  This short-sighted approach to ow income housing has largely expanded into the Cape Flats - it has reinforced poverty, and damaged biodiversity and water ways - it has come at a considerable environmental cost as well as a heavy social cost. Poverty is a major threat to the environment.
     Nick Fordyce, Chairperson of Friends of the Liesbeek, introduced Denisha Anand as an ethnobotanist who turns into a giant plant when the moon is full. Anand spoke about the history of the struggle to save Princess Vlei from the shopping mall, and the work done since to restore and revitalise the site. She described the overwhelming issues facing her when the Forum employed her to manage the GPVCA in 2016. ‘I just cleaned, for a year. There was so much littering, pollution and mess on site.’ She described how, after consultation with City officials in the biodiversity branch,  she realised that the site needed a proper restoration plan, and encouraged the Forum to raise funds to contract Alex Lansdowne to create a five year plan, which the Forum is rolling out.
     Lansdowne described five essential ingredients for a good restoration plan: A technical appreciation and knowledge of the process, drawing on the expertise of academics and professionals as necessary;  Healthy conflict and debate to facilitate creative problem solving; Money and good fundraising strategies; Networking to get recognition of the project, which would help bring in funds; People - involve the community in every aspect of the project, and have fun doing it.
     After a delicious spread of fynbos tea and edibles provided by Zayaan Khan, participants split into focus groups to discuss partnerships with the City; community engagement; fundraising; and restoration.
     In the plenary session, it became clear that poverty is indeed a major challenge to all the groups present, most of whom were grappling with how to deal with informal dwellers moving into conservation areas. It became very clear from the discussion that conservation cannot happen in a bubble, and that the struggle for ecological and social justice are inextricably intertwined. Fundraising is an ongoing problem, and negotiating relationships with City officials.
     Most participants felt that it had been a valuable experience, and that they would welcome further workshops, perhaps focussing more narrowly on this and other issues that were identified.  The Forum looks forward to hosting such engagements in the future.
     We would like to thank Dr Kevin Winter, Denisha Anand and Alex Lansdowne for their inputs, Nick Fordyce for chairing the workshop, Zayaan Khan for the catering, and  Zandvlei Trust for the venue. A big thanks as always to Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for funding this work.

On August 9 th , Women’s Day, women and men, young and old and from diverse backgrounds
gathered to plant 1000 seedlings or ‘plugs’ in the seep on the west side of the Vlei. The eastern
shore of the Princess Vlei is often said to resemble a young woman’s profile, although to me the
shape of the viei more closely resembles a pregnant emu. The long-term vision of the Princess Vlei
Forum is to restore the rich biodiversity of the two unique plant kingdoms that once thrived there
around the whole of the ‘emu’. The vision is also to engage willing hands from the surrounding
communities to get involved with this work.

   Alex Lansdowne, the consultant botanist to the Forum, explained to the group that Princess Vlei has two vegetation types: Cape Flats Sand Fynbos and Cape Flats Dune Strandveld. Both are endemic to Cape Town, and both contain species under threat due to loss of areas where they can thrive. Much of the vegetation around the Vlei is degraded due to urban creep, dumping, litter, neglect, and uncontrolled invasives taking over.   ‘Our restoration project is in the process of undoing this degradation, and restoring a self-sustaining thriving eco-system.  Today we will be planting 6 species - pelargonium capitatum, athanasia crithmifolia, anthospernum aethiopicum, Elegia nuda ,penisteum mucronatum, and leonotus leonurus. They are all species which do well as start up plants in a recovering area.'
    The area is also benefitting from the removal of alien plants by volunteers from the Princess Vlei Forum and Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society last year. This enabled indigenous vegetation in the area to re-emerge, and flourish. One of the recovered species that was spotted there is Coriander Storksbill (Pelargonium myrrhifolium var. coriandrifolium).
    The group got to work, and, with focus and care, planted out the 1000 newly rooting seedlings. The group included Botanical Society members from Noordhoek and Strandfontein; student conservationists from Khayelitsha; Mothers, fathers, daughters, and friends; stalwarts and new faces, each making their contribution.  Amongst our regulars were three high school students, volunteering  to fill their ‘community service hours’. These girls have volunteered with us over the last few years, and we hope the experience is giving them a lasting sense of connection to the place.
   Mary Jansen, one of the volunteers and organisers of the local Khoe group is keen for us to reach a stage in the restoration work when we will again see the diversity of plants present that she remembers from her childhood. Those were the days when plants with medicinal properties were more plentiful and could be collected and used for healing common ailments in the home. The knowledge of it all is still carried in her generation.
    Lucille Luckhoff, together with Cllr Kevin Southgate had a quiz for people to answer. What were we all celebrating and remembering on Women’s Day? How many women marched and to where? Why did they march? Correct answers were rewarded with a warm red shweshwe cloth heart to pin on the sleeve.
   The weather was kind. Our hearts felt good and there was a sense that those long since passed, ancestors of Princess Vlei, were smiling on our efforts. We were united in our quiet shared hope that the mornings’ activity would help the planet, in its own tiny but powerful way.

‘My name is Imange and I wrote on my lucky stick, ‘I hope you grow little Imareed'. And the plant I planted is a reed. I named it half of my name so it could grow, and maybe it will know me when I am old. I hope to come back to Princess Vlei and I hope to still find my stick and my plant in the same place as I planted it.’ - Imange Nondela, Grade 7 Floreat Primary

Imange Nondela is one of 45 Primary School learners from Floreat and Levana Primary who came to plant at Princess Vlei on July 22. The learners were planting on the Northern Shore, in the restoration area adjoining Briana Crescent.
      This restoration area was established in 2021. As this part of Princess Vlei was originally Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, a critically endangered vegetation type, restoring the plant life there has enabled the re-establishment of many Red List species endemic to this type of fynbos. These include Erica turgida, an extinct-in-the wild Erica, as well as Serruria foeniculacea,  Steirodiscus tagetes and Podalyria sericea. The planting last year increased the biodiversity in the area from three or four species to over forty-four.
    This year, 1187 plants of six different species were planted, including Isolepis rubicundus, Anthospermum aethiopicum, Pelargonium capitatum, Elegia nuda and Psoralwa pinnata.
       As always, the learners enthusiastically embraced their task. They were each given a sucker stick on which to write their names, and a message to encourage the plant to grow. Some, like Imange, named their plants - the name Steve was a favourite, and one child was overheard saying, ‘be careful, you’re about to step on Steve’. It was touching to see the care and love they brought to the task. One of the Forum’s core missions is to invoke deep connection, passion and love for the plants and the earth amongst our young guardians - this connection was strongly evident.

Kristi Jooste, a teacher from Floreat who accompanied the learners, had this to say about the afternoon: ‘As a school environmental club we are committed to offering opportunities to our school community that promote environmental health and sustainability. In a world filled with so many pressures to deepen the disconnections between both the natural world and one another, we jump at opportunities such as these initiated by PVF as these offer space for our learners, staff and parents to contribute towards maintaining and rebuilding our local natural environment, and in the process strengthening each of our personal connections with nature and with one another.’
     We look forward to watching these plants grow, and feel confident that Imange’s reed and its offspring will continue to recognise her, and be grateful to the young hands which nurtured them and helped to bring new life.
     Thanks to the teachers who give up their free time to bring the learners, to our volunteers, to Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for funding our schools work, and of course to the plants of Princess Vlei.

‘I tell my children the story of the Princess as a bed time story, I want to bring them here just so that they are grounded, and grounded in their heritage.’ Emile Jansen.
     Getting grounded in our heritage was literally what our planting on Mandela Day was all about, when twenty-five people came together to create a heritage garden at Princess Vlei.
      The plants are to bring companionship to three trees that were planted there four years ago to honour three strong women significant to  our KhoeKhoe heritage: The unnamed Princess in the legend of Princess Vlei; Saartjie Baartman, and Krotoa. All of these women suffered abuse at the hands of invading coloniser forces, as indigenous people and as women. All of them left a powerful legacy of the spirit of resistance that endures against hardship and oppression.

The tree planted in honour of the princess is of particular significance, as it is a sapling of the ‘Treaty tree,’ a 500 year old Milkwood in Woodstock which was:

•  growing near the site of the battle between the KhoeKhoe and Francis De Almeida in 1510, which is the origin of the legend of the Princess 
• used as a site  for a slave market 
• where the British and the Dutch signed a treaty awarding the Cape Colony to the British.

Many of the plants in the garden are of cultural and medicinal significance to the indigenous people of the Cape, and they are also important members of the Cape Flats Sand Fynbos and Dune Strandveld eco-systems. Notable amongst the medicinal plants are Pelargonium capitatum, used as a traditional remedy for  kidney and bladder ailments, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, and Polygala Myrtifolia, which has anitbacterial and anti fungal properties.   The plants will be used to showcase our restoration work, and to celebrate our rich and long history of interdependence between humans, plants and identity.
    Emile Jansen is a founding member of the Forum, and performed at the first big protest event hosted by the Forum ten years ago on June 16, 2012. His organisation, Heal the Hood, works to encourage children from areas such as Lavender Hill and Retreat to learn about and develop pride in their Khoe heritage, through his work with Heal the hood. This project uses hip hop, music and dance to develop a strong sense of identity and self-confidence in local youth. Emile is also leader of the Mixed Mense group, which composed the song ‘Cry me a river’ to tell the story of the struggle against the proposed mall at Princess Vlei.‘
'We must keep working to realise our vision for Princess Vlei,  because it is one of the few success stories of the people standing up against a mall.… It’s ironic, because the colonialists came here to build a refreshment station, then they wanted to build a mall here at Princess Vlei, now they are trying to build a virtual mall  [the proposed Amazon development on the Liesbeeck] …We have to invest in these struggles for our children.. young people need to realise that our role in nature is to let it be, and to assist it to revitalise itself.’
    Another person with deep roots of connection  to the vlei is Anthony Martin, who was there with his two grandchildren.
     ‘My grandfather used to irrigate his gardens from this very vlei,’ Anthony told us,  ‘and he grew quite a few crops, potatoes, carrots, peas, until the council wanted  grounds to build that caravan park, and he had to vacate the area…My aunt told me how they used to bundle up the crops and sell them to the community, even the people from the other side of the track used to come and buy They also had a few milk cows here and made their own cheese and butter….
     ‘I was born in that house, which was  built in the old style of masonry, no bricks. We were one of the last houses with thatch in this area. We moved to Steenberg when I was three to a  council house, but I carried on visiting the house. I would sleep in the pantry because it was one of the coolest places… I wish we had known more about this history, and how connected we are to this part of the world, even to the soil itself.’
     Mandela Day was another expression of how Princess Vlei is more than just a community of plants and animals, it is a community of people, whose lives, identities and histories are interwoven with the other species that live there. It offers us a vision of how we can live in the world where we recognise our kinship and interdependency  – with each other, with the birds, the insects, the chameleons, the otters and the beautiful and generous fynbos that sustained us for millennia.

“The biggest threat facing our youth is the destruction of our planet. By coming here today, you are making an investment in the earth, and building a future for our young people”
    Bridget Pitt, Deputy Chair of the Princess Vlei Forum, greeted the forty people who came to plant fynbos at Princess Vlei on June 16 2022 with these words.
     Pitt went on to explain that the plot where they would be planting had a complicated history, like Princess Vlei itself. In July 2020, Forum volunteers and community members, together with the Kirstenbosch branch of the Botanical Society, came out of lock down to plant over 5 000 plant units onto the site, bringing it from a biodiversity of 4 species to over 40.
      This was the culmination of several months work by the Forum restoration and botanical team. After extensive research into what vegetation had once naturally grown at Princess Vlei, the team created a five-year restoration plan, and sourced and cultivated plants for the site from seed or cuttings.
     By May 2021, these plants were flourishing and most had survived.  Then disaster struck: an operator contracted by the City to clear water hyacinth destroyed two hundred metres of shoreline, and eradicated two-thirds of the restoration site, burying it under piles of sludge and hyacinth extracted from the vlei.
     Since then, the City has been working with the Forum to repair the damage. On June 16, the City provided 670 plants of 10 different species to plant in the area. While this could not return the site to the condition it was in before it was destroyed, Pitt said it was an important gesture from the City that was appreciated by the Forum, and was part of building a relationship of trust and collaboration that was essential to enable the community to participate meaningfully in the restoration and governance of fragile ecosystems in the city.

The Forum also aknowledged the City officials and counsellors who came to assist with the planting. Among these were Teboho Maliehe, Luyanda Mjuleni, Sihle Jonas, Ashton Mouton and Asanda Mdladlamba, and Cllr Kevin Southgate. Cllr Southgate has long been a champion of the the Princess Vlei, even before he was a councillor. On behalf of the Forum, Emma Oliver thanked them for coming, and for their contribution to the refreshments.

Another significant person at the planting was Nikita January-Johnson. Nikita first became involved as a school learner from Lotus High in 2012. Many of the plants now flourishing at the Vlei were planted by Nikita and her classmates, as a form of protest against the planned shopping mall. She was now coming to plant with her husband and two small children.

In a Facebook post about the event, Nikita said, “I loved getting my hands dirty while cleaning up the vlei regularly … When I became part of the environmental club at school it was at first an escape from everyday challenges. It later became something deeper when I joined the Forum because then I got to be part of something greater than myself.

“Ten years later my daughter got to enjoy this beautiful space, seeing how it all became something that I remember as plans and meetings and after school clean ups has now become this beautiful serene space I can take my kids to … I could not be any more proud.”

As so often with planting events at Princess Vlei, there was a certain magic in the air on June 16. Perhaps it was the ring of mountains, from Muizenberg to Devil’s peak, so perfectly mirrored in the still water. Or the monarch butterfly exploring a Wilde Dagga flower, or two cormorants flying overhead through a drift of scattered clouds

Or perhaps it was the simple but powerful magic of people of all ages, from all walks of life, coming together to grow something new and restore a small, battered patch of ground to the glory that nature intended.

'Don’t litter, and respect nature and animals… Don’t chop down all the trees and keep birds safe and don’t pollute their homes …. Protect and look after the birds so that we don’t lose our birds….If we can protect the birds then we will have birds in the future.'

These are the simple but profound messages of several primary school learners who were part of our ‘Save the Birds’ game at Princess Vlei. Not yet in their teens, but these youngsters show more wisdom than many of our most powerful global leaders.

Forty-five learners, from Hillwood, Buck Road and Muhammadeyah Primary Schools, took part in the imaginative game, where they were 'time-travellers' from 200 years in the future, from a world where birds had been driven to extinction. Their task was to find out about birds: what they needed, what threatened them, and how to protect them to ensure that they did not go extinct.

The time travellers were met by the ‘Spirit Guide’ (aka Denisha Anand), a spirit with wisdom gathered from all the ages, who told them how the first indigenous people who lived near Princess Vlei lived in harmony with nature and looked after the plants, the butterflies and the birds. ‘But then new people came, who did not care for the land, who chopped down the forests and built in the wetlands… luckily, some of the new people were different. They learnt from the indigenous people, and have continued to try to protect nature where they can. That is why Princess Vlei is still here, and has not been built on by a shopping mall. So we must learn from the wisdom of the indigenous people, and keep searching for ways to live in harmony with earth and other creatures.’

The Supreme Time Lord (Brendan Bussy) explained that to the learners that they had travelled from a world where everything was different, and Princess Vlei was just concrete with no birds, insects or plants. He explained also that humans were cyborgs, and could not longer talk so they had to find other ways of communicating. Their important mission was to discover everything they could about birds, and to craft messages for the people of 2022 to ensure that there were still birds in 2222.

He warned them that they had to come running back to the time travelling ship when they heard the siren (a vuvuzela) as if they didn’t get through the time portal before it closed, they would be stuck in 2022

The children investigated the area in groups, and made many interesting observations and discoveries, which they later shared with the group. They were helped by the time lords, who were also sometimes their teachers. When the Vuvuzela sounded, they all charged back to get through the portal in time.

This exciting game, sustained by Brendon’s zany imagination and role playing abilities, is a wonderful way to help children think about the consequences of today’s actions for the future, and to realise that can play an important role in creating a future where nature and humans can flourish.

Below are some of the observations made by our keen-eyed time travellers.

Winter is planting month in Cape Town. During May and early June, the Forum hosted three planting events with community members and school learners as part of our efforts to restore the indigenous vegetation at Princess Vlei. This is the UN decade of restoration, and here at Princess Vlei we continue to do what we can to conserve biodiversity and restore our beautiful endemic fynbos. In July, we are planning the planting of a new site on the northern shore which will restore Cape Flats Sand Fynbos.

• This project is supported by the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society, and by the Hans Hoheisen Charitable trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth.

 

A job for old people?
On May 7, seventeen community members came together to plant Protea seeds, Serruria foeniculacea (Rondevlei Spiderhead) and Chrysanthemoides monolifera (bietou) in the restoration plot nearby Briana Cresent.
    This plot on the northern shore was first planted last year, after the Forum cleared 1500 square metres of alien grasses and weeds. This site offers the opportunity to restore Cape Flats Sand Fynbos,  a critically endangered vegetation type only found on the lowlands of Cape Town. These unique habitats have been decimated by the expansion of urban Cape Town, which has left only small islands of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, most of which is degraded. Restoring this endemic plant community is critical for ensuring the long term survival of many threatened species. This includes Serruria foeniculacea, which was declared extinct in the wild before being rediscovered at Rondevlei in the 1970’s.
    At the planting, our botanical consultant Alex Lansdowne, explained, 'the work today is ideally suited to old people, as we need to sit and patiently plug holes with hundreds of protea seeds.
   ‘These protea seeds operate on a principle of  survival in numbers.  In the fynbos, fire is not just about death. It makes a lot of nutrients available to the soil, animals that die provide food for birds of prey, and it release masses of protea seeds. A lot of mice and other animals eat them, and only about one in twenty are fertile. So we need to lots of holes for lots of seeds.'
    We had several very young participants, who fortunately seemed just as happy as their parents and grand parents to patiently plug the seeds into the holes!

Planting for our future
On May 16, fourteen learners from Lotus High came to Princess Vlei on May 16 to help us with  restoration planting. The learners were planting in the restoration site that was damaged by the City’s bulldozers in May last year.
   'Today we came to Princess Vlei to restore a few of the plants that used to grow here. We are planting grass to stop erosion of the shoreline. Maybe it will look beautiful next time we come,’ said Lotus High learner, Azriedien Gabier.
   School-mate Diedre Louw, commented, ‘We have come today to restore some plants to Princess Vlei because last year some bulldozers came to destroy our nature. … I like the outdoors and I like greenery so why not come plant something to help the ecosystem? Maybe there are some animals that we didn’t even know about, and by planting something they might come back and we will be able to see them.'

Alex Lansdowne told to the learners: ‘The penesetum is a wild relative of the kikuyu that grows in your school lawn. We’ve been growing them hydroponically, which means growing them in water, and feeding them worm tea. Planting them will stabilise the bank. If we don’t, it will continue to erode because of the wave action.’

After they’d finished planting, learners enjoyed skimming stones on the water across the vlei.

Nature-loving kids
On June 2, 15 different learners came from Lotus High to plant more grass on the eastern shore, and put in 400 seedling of the rain daisy, Dimorphotheca pluvialis. This promises a lovely display in September after the winter rains.  
    Speaking about the benefits of bringing learners to the Vlei, Lotus High science teacher Shafiek Isaacs said: ‘Princess Vlei is on our doorstep, so we can use it to teach kids about nature, and in that way they will teach their kids to take care of any environmental area they have… the work on the vlei is only a start. My learners propagate their own plants…
    'This year we have planted 63 trees around the school and in the area, our aim is plant 200 trees.
As kids get more involved, their life style chances, their eating habits change… everything is a lesson, I talk about climate change … so the kids eat less meat because of carbon emissions.
    'They are more hands on with their school work, because its practical, its not just theory, they’ll learn the names of plants. We must understand where they come from, they come from gang areas.  3 kids were recently shot and killed.  They don’t want to be at home, they’d rather stay at school until 6 o’clock They are nature loving kids, they just want to do environmental work.
     'It also helps with discipline. The kids are motivated to behave in class so that the can join the outings to Princess vlei.’

• 'I enjoyed drawing trees, making a fire. At school we don’t communicate a lot, but here we communicate. It's for us to make changes in the world, the older people don’t care. We need to look after the world, and we need to know know what to do for the plants.' - Chandre November, Lotus High
  

The Princess Vlei Forum hosted a camp with learners from Lotus high school from the 29th April to the 1st May at the Princess Vlei Eco centre. The learners are part of our Princess Eco Guardians Program which aims to cultivate custodianship and care for our environment amongst the youth.
     The camp program started with us setting the tone and objectives for the weekend. The learners agreed that fun came first and everything else would follow, I agreed! After postponing our camp twice due to covid it was important for us to create a space where our eco guardians had the opportunity to express themselves and unwind in nature. Our co facilitator Robin Moodley assisted us throughout the weekend with art jam sessions, where the learners had an opportunity to create art work based on observations made during their nature walks at the vlei.

    I facilitated various lessons from our Sunbird and Fynbos workbook where our eco guardians were able to explore the habitat, food and threats of sunbirds first hand during their stay at the vlei, they were also lucky enough to spot a malachite sunbird during free time in the sun!
Our lessons gave the learners an opportunity to use bird and fynbos field guides to identify and name the species in their books and to distinguish between male and female birds. The learners were also able to immerse themselves by being able to anser questions in the book by walking through the strandveld to find the answers.
     One of the highlights of our camp was taking our guardians out for a walk to the restoration site along Briana Ave. Some of the learners attending the camp were responsible for planting this plot and were in awe of the difference that their planting had made in the space of one year. The habitat was thriving with birds and pollinators and some plants already in flower!
    That moment allowed them to experience the impact of their presence and commitment to the vlei and to nature. I  think a lot made sense for some of them after seeing what planting tiny seedlings and dispersing even tinier seeds could do. Their custodianship became visible and they could see the impact that an act of care can have on the environment, while still having fun!

What the learners said

Chloe Dudley: I came here to learn and relax. I learnt about plants, and the kayaking was fun. I would tell my friends to come because they would learn about new plants, and new animals and sounds, and enjoy the fun part with their friends.

Jady Maans: I came to learn about nature and to have fun. The best part was when we went on a night walk. When I did kayaking I got stuck in the reeds, but I enjoyed it.

Shanon-lee Everson: I learnt about different kinds of plants, and learnt to focus a plant, The night walk was awesome, I wasn’t scared - when you connect with nature, you just feel safe. Last night we had a sing off around the fire, everybody together.
       We are also learnt about the leopard toad and the sunbird. Denisha told us to go out into PV to listen for Leopard toads, and if  we hear calls we have to help the Forum stop construction noise around the vlei. If we don’t stop it, the noise will chase the toads away, which we don’t want.
      We watched  a climate change clip, and it showed us how the world will be if we don’t make these changes, so we need to make these changes.  I did know about climate change, because last year we went on a strike and made a banner to say why we didn’t want climate change, but this video actually explained what it is and what we have to change. Development helps us, but we are part of nature just as nature is part of us, so we need stop whatever is hurting nature.

Jody Maans:  I was here before, and wanted to experience it again The best part was kayaking. I fell into the water, I enjoyed that. We should protect nature because it is beautiful. The food was very nice.

Jae-lee  Marthinus:  I came to learn more about nature, because in nature you can experience everything. I loved learning more about sunbirds, and the plants, and learning about climate change. The best part was kayaking. I liked learning how to use the paddle. I would tell my friends that they should learn to protect nature, stop littering and stop global warming and stuff like that. Nature is an environment where you can come and sit under a tree and hear the sounds of the birds and release your stress, you don’t think about your troubles.

Dierdre Louw: I wanted to learn more about taking care of nature and cleaning up the environment, and exposing the things that doesn’t belong, and taking out the plants that doesn’t belong. We learnt about different types of plants, I love drawing. I loved seeing the snake! It was a mole snake, here in the road. I would encourage everybody, to come to these camps, and learn about the plants. If you know something is in danger you can help it.

Chandre November: I enjoyed drawing trees and making a fire. At school we don’t communicate a lot, but here we communicate. It's for us to make changes in the world, the older people don’t care. We need to look after the world, and we need to know know what to do for the plants.

Paige Eden: I want to know all the plants, and spread the word to others to keep the plants safe, don’t damage them. I Loved the kayaking and enjoyed the world book and speaking about the plants, the Ericas and the geophytes. I would encourage my friends to come because my experience was the best.

‘My name is Leon Dingwall, from Sassmeer Estate.  The civic and surrounding area needed a total clean up particularly with the port Jackson growing out of control, and on behalf of our ratepayers association… I can say thanks very much to the people who rocked up here this morning to clear the area of alien vegetation, I think it was nice of them and the area does look much better for it.’
     Leon was one of several Sassmeer Estate residents who join the Hackathon Saturday, 9 April. He joined fifty others of all ages from various areas in clearing the Port Jacksons and litter in the dunes behind the Retreat Civic.
     The event was organised jointly by the Princess Vlei Forum and the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society. We were also assisted by four people from the River Ambassador’s project managed by Nature Connect,. Their chains saws, strength and expertise were much appreciated.

    The event was well-supported by the City, with Ward Cllr Kevin Southgate, and PR Cllr Patricia Van der Ross who came with the team from her office. She is the Mayco member for Community health and Safety.
     Speaking to the People’s Post, Cllr Southgate said, ‘The hackathon is part of our ongoing commitment to remove the alien Port Jackson trees from within the Princess Vlei Park. It allows us to experience and enjoy the fynbos growing in the area.
    ‘Port Jacksons not only threaten the fynbos, but can create overgrown areas where antisocial activities can take place. “From the objects that we removed it is clear that [people] use the area to sort goods and burn wires which one assumes could be stolen copper.’  (People’s Post 12 April 2022)
    According to Alex Lansdowne, who co-ordinates the Princess Vlei Forum’s Fynbos Restoration Project, ‘the Princess Vlei Dunes to the south of the Vlei constitute the most intact vegetation, and contain 65% of all indigenous species occurring in the Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area. Cape Flats Dune Strandveld is a critically endangered vegetation type and is endemic to Cape Town.  However large Port Jackson trees have been growing for many years in the dune slacks unmanaged. This is not only a threat to the biodiversity but aid also a safety concern, encouraging antisocial activities such as illegal dumping.
    ‘This hack expands the management profile of the Princess Vlei Forum to the Retreat & Sassmear side of the Vlei.’
    Also in attendance were four volunteers from a film direction company called Rewild Africa. In the words of Carter, Rewild Africa  ‘focusses on story telling and solutions to ecological restoration…we identify different community initiatives around ecological restoration and we identify opportunities to tell that story and share with the world so that people can be inspired in other parts of the world to do the same.
    ‘Here at the Princess Vlei and we have a whole community coming together to do invasive species removal, to make sure that this place remains biodiverse and beautiful. Its incredible to see all this community coming together, especially for a place with such rich cultural history.’
    After working hard for two hours, volunteers gathered at the Jolly Carp for some well earned refreshments and to share stories from the morning.
    By the end of the morning there were two large piles of felled Port Jacksons ready for collection by the CoCT team, as well as several bags of litter. Equally important, new community connections have been forged which will strengthen the network we need to actively conserve and restore these critical pockets of biodiversity.
   The Princess Vlei Forum would like to thank all those who came out to support the event, and to urge all community members to get involved in helping us conserve our highly threatened biodiversity. These beautiful plants not only sooth our souls, but are essential carbon sinks to help fight the growing threat of catastrophic climate change.