This week, the Princess Vlei Forum joins millions of others in mourning the loss of  Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu and in paying tribute to his legacy. 

As an empathetic, tireless campaigner for human rights, whose hard hitting messages were always spiced with his irrepressible humour, Tutu recognised the link between environmental justice and social justice. Many know about his campaigns to raise awareness about climate change.  Less well known is that in 2013, he found time from his onerous schedule to issue a statement in support of the struggle to save Princess Vlei, saying, “I would like to express my support for the campaign to save the greater Princess Vlei area from the inappropriate development of a shopping mall, and for its protection in perpetuity as a nature and heritage park. Princess Vlei is a valuable place for citizens to come to be close to God and nature, to find peace and to build family and community. God has carefully crafted our universe; let us stop destroying our beautiful world for the sake of short-term profit. Let us use our laws to safeguard our natural and cultural heritage.”  Read more

In 2007 he coined the term ‘climate change apartheid’, pointing out not only the vast discrepancy in the carbon footprint of poor and rich nations, but also the vast discrepancy on what climate change would cost these nations. ‘Leaving the world’s poor to sink or swim with their own meagre resources in the face of the threat posed by climate change is morally wrong. Unfortunately, as the Human Development Report 2007/2008 powerfully demonstrates, this is precisely what is happening. We are drifting into a world of ‘adaptation apartheid’.’ (quoted in http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/we-do-not-need-climate-change-apartheid-adaptation)

Over the next 15 years,  Tutu actively supported for environmental rights and a just transition to a low carbon economy. His work included:

• Calling for disinvestment in fossil fuel companies and a boycott of events sponsored by them, comparing this to the boycotts that were used to help end apartheid.
• Petitioning U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other leaders to set a target of 100% renewable energy by 2050 at the 2015 UN summit on climate change
• Using his platform on the international group, The Elders, to lobby world leaders to keep alive a path to the lowest 1.5-degree Celsius limit on global warming in the Paris pact.
• Devoting the 10 th annual Desmond Tutu international peace lecture to the theme of climate justice, giving a platform to young activists such as Ugandan Vanessa Nakate.

(see www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/prayers-petitions-boycotts-desmond-tutus-climate-activism-2021-12-30/)

Desmond Tutu never failed to remind us of our responsibilities to the earth and to each other. As he said in 2014, ‘Who can stop climate change? We can. You and you and you, and me. And it is not just that we can stop it, we have a responsibility to do so that began in the genesis of humanity, when God commanded the earliest human inhabitants of the Garden of Eden, "to till it and keep it". To "keep" it; not to abuse it, not to make as much money as possible from it, not to destroy it.’  
( quoted in https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/21/desmond-tutu-climate-change-is-the-global-enemy)

The world has lost a true leader, a man of deep compassion who felt the pain of all fellow humans, and an inspired visionary. let us honour his legacy by taking up the struggle to defend the earth and its people against the destructive greed of the fossil fuel industry and all politicians who have been persuaded (or bribed) to serve it. 

‘This was our first time in a canoe and it was a great experience … it teaches teamwork, if there is no team work you’re not paddling, you’re just going round and round… Being on the water was great… I wished we could stay in there because it’s really nice.’
      This is what Lindsay Chwerenga, a Grade 11 learner from Heathfield High, had to say about her first experience of canoeing. The Princess Vlei Canoe Club was initiated in 2021 through a partnership between the Princess Vlei Forum, and Gravity Adventures. The Forum organises the learners, while Gravity Adventures supplies the canoes, life jackets and other equipment, and an awesome crew to manage the boats and instruct the learners.
      The project was launched in May with 20 learners from Heathfield High. Unfortunately, due to challenges linked to Covid, the weather and availability of teachers, we only managed one more session with Heathfield in the second term

In October, we revived the club with the Fairmount High Eco-club, thanks to the tireless efforts of Ms Rholda Gosain. Five sessions were run between October and December, with a total of 34 learners. Teachers also joined in.
      The canoe sessions give the learners a great opportunity to have fun while experiencing the beauty and tranquility of a natural area. They learn many useful skills such as co-ordinating their movements, navigation, and team work. We hope to continue with this project next year, and to include environmental activities such as clean ups and planting.
     Speaking of the Fairmount experience, Ms Gosain said, ‘The canoeing experience has brought such a lot of excitement in the lives of most of Fairmount's learners. I used the exercise to enlighten them about environmental concerns and it was such a fun way of highlighting the need to be environmentally aware. They loved it. I managed to get the attention of grades that I don't even teach. Thank you so much for affording us the opportunity.’
       Thanks to the teachers who helped to organise the learners; Gravity Adventures; WESSA for sponsoring the Gravity Team; and the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for funding our educational work.

‘Forget everything you know about gardening.’
This was the first thing Alex Lansdowne told the eight community members who gathered at Rondevlei for the Princess Vlei Indigenous Gardens workshop on 27 May. The workshop was hosted by the Princess Vlei Forum, and facilitated by Alex, a specialist horticulturalist who has been overseeing the indigenous plant restoration projects at Princess Vlei. The participants soon realised that this was a ‘gardening workshop’ with a difference, because it was all about growing wild plants.
     Growing indigenous plants, particularly those endemic to your area, helps to create small patches of wilderness in gardens, on road verges, at schools. These patches are critical for sustaining biodiversity in urban areas. They can provide ‘filling stations’ for indigenous pollinators, such as sunbirds, bumble bees and butterflies, and beetles. These help the pollinators to follow their natural migration and movement patterns. Sustaining the pollinators helps to enable our rich biodiverse plant community to thrive, and overcome the fragmentation created by urban development.
       Alex explained that cultivating wild plants is different from conventional gardening. These plants grow in adapted ecosystems in the wild. Understanding  the conditions of these ecosystems can help you create the right conditions for these plants to thrive with little maintenance and expense.

The workshop began with a walk of discovery to explore the fynbos and strandveld plants growing at Rondevlei. Alex  explained that there are four key aromatic species in the fynbos kingdom:  Pelargonium, citrus, daisy, and mint. ‘All of these have medicinal properties. The only member of the citrus family in the fynbos kingdom is the Buchu plant, which not indigenous to Rondevlei, but all the others grow abundantly in Dune Strandveld and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos plant systems.’

Pelargoniums are great plants for wild plant gardens, with hundreds of different varieties. They have ingenious spiral growths on the seeds, which function as a helicopter to help the wind disperse the seed. Once on the ground, intermittent rain enables the spiral to alternately straighten and coil, effectively drilling the seed into the soil. Once more consistent rains come, the seed will germinate.
      Other good candidates for the indigenous garden are the salvia species, such as Bruin Salie, which are part of the mint family, and members of the daisy family. An important plant in this family is  Helichrysum petiolare, known as imphepho, or Khoegoed, which is widely used for medicinal teas and burnt for ceremonial rituals.  
      ‘My grandfather taught me to drink a tea of imphepho and Wilde Als when I’m sick. We also use the imphepho in the nesting material for the chickens, as it helps to keep troublesome insects away from the hens when they are laying,’ Alex explained
      After the walk, Alex showed the group how to propagate the different plants, using three different methods: Growing from cuttings, growing from seeds, and planting seedlings. The Salvia and pelargonium samples were used for cuttings. Alex supplied several seedlings of the Fountain Bush, which the workshop participants potted. He supplied seeds from the aloe plants, and showed participants how to mix them with sand to spread them in seed trays. He also gave advice on plant maintenance and soils for growing indigenous plants.
       Karen Fraser had this to say about the workshop: ‘I was very nervous because my gardening knowledge is like almost non-existent. So when Alex said "forget everything you know about gardening" I didn't have much to lose and knew I was in good hands.  Our meander through the park was fantastic. Alex imparted soooo much info but, he related it to things we knew eg. kombuis raad, household names of the different plants as well as what it is used for-especially the one I could put in my gin.
      ‘Not only did I get an understanding of cuttings, nodes, seedlings and the ecosystem in and around the vlei, but I learned about the history of our indigenous plants and the Flats, which would have been overrun by these plants in the early days of the Cape.  The workshop has surely benefited me as I am going to use the skills taught in our community and at CAFDA. I am looking forward to more interactions with Alex, the Forum and the crew that attended with me.’
      Grassy Park resident Colleen Saunders commented, ‘We had an enjoyable, informative and relaxing morning, learning about different plants and how they grow, taking a walk to see them in the wild, then messing with sand like little kids as we planted our own cuttings and seedlings and took them home.’
     Emma Oliver said, ’The workshop was a great combination of ‘learning by doing’ – especially how to make cuttings and pot them – and ‘learning by looking’ – touching smelling and seeing the different fynbos, and learning by listening – as Alex shared his deep and wide knowledge of the fynbos endemic to Rondevlei and Princess Vlei.’
     The participants each left with several potted plant cuttings; a tray of seeds and potted seedlings - a good kit to start an indigenous garden. We hope to see these wild plants thriving in every possible corner of land in and around Princess Vlei.

We are Western Leopard Toads. Our names are Stripey, Spots and Mike. We like to breed at Princess Vlei because it has a lot of water, food and plants. There is food for us, like snails, bees, water beetles and bugs. There are places for us and our tadpoles to hide - in the mud, in the reeds and under stones. But we don’t like the litter here, because our tadpoles and toadlets might eat it by mistake, which will make them sick.’
     These were the observations of one group of young scientists at our ‘Boats and Toads’ event in November this year.
       Forty-five children from Levana, Harmony, Hillwood and Muhammedeyah Primary came to Princess Vlei to spend an afternoon observing the Western Leopard toads in their habitats. They explored the surrounding area from the perspective of a toad looking for a place to breed. The children also got an opportunity to observe toad habitats from the water, thanks to the team from Gravity Adventures, who enables the learners to experience canoeing on the vlei.
      The canoeing was a great hit, especially as many of the learners had not experienced this before. When not canoeing, they explored the water’s edge and found many interesting life forms, including toads, a crab, water beetles, dragon flies and dragonfly nymphs, fingerlings and a variety of birds.

A week later, the learner’s met up again at Levana Primary, for an artistic activity to consolidate the learnings from their field trip. Each learner made a toad sculpture out of clay, and painted a habitat on a plate with mixed media. This provided a place for their toads.
       This was a great all round activity, exercising young minds, bodies and creativity; giving youngsters a safe but exciting time in nature; bossing their self-esteem through their creations;  and promoting a love and understanding for the wild creatures at Princess Vlei, insight into what they need to live, and why we should treasure them.
        Thanks to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth, for funding our environmental education programme; to Gravity Adventures for supplying canoes, life jackets, and a great team; and to Levana Primary for generously making their school hall available. And, as always, a huge thanks to the teachers who give up their time to make these programmes possible

Let’s weave a world where ‘we’ means all humans, all creatures, all plants. Let’s weave these connections, let’s weave a world….
So ended a poem performed by Lotus High learners Azrudien Gabier and Tracy Lee Daniels at the Princess Vlei Dream weavers celebration on 16 October.
     The celebration followed a two month project in which children from areas around Princess Vlei developed a vision for a better, kinder world, based on their observations of relationships in the natural world as seen at Princess Vlei.
        The rain showers on Saturday meant a shift in the programme, but did little to dampen the spirits of the 140 youngsters who gathered at the Retreat Civic for the celebration. Prominently displayed in the venue were the two large artworks which had been created collectively  by 120 young people from Lotus High, Harmony Primary, Hillwood Primary, Levana Primary, Muhammadeyah Primary, Primrose Park Primary, and the Peter Clarke Art Centre. It consists of two giant spiral webs, symbolising our connections with each other and nature. In the webs are depictions of plant and animal species found at Princess Vlei. Around the outside are the children’s visions for a better world.

     On October 16, the  artists were joined by youngsters from the Masiphumelele Creative Hub, the Jungle Theatre Company junior club, volunteers from Fairmount High Ecoclub and the Fairmount High Marching Band. The participants began the afternoon by creating imaginative headdresses from coloured card, to be worn in the procession later, with many taking the opportunity to get their faces painted.
       After a snack, Bridget Pitt introduced the web artworks. 'Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about connections by watching nature. These artworks are an expression of what can be achieved when we weave strong connections and work together. These collective visions  are powerful because they give voice to the wishes of so many young people for a better future.
      Accompanied by VIncent Meyburgh on the drums, Tracy Lee Daniels and Azrudien Gabier read, 'Lets weave a world,' a poem created from the collective wishes expressed by learners during the Dream Weaver's project. The participants then watched a performance of ‘The River of Life’ by the Jungle Theatre Company. This highly entertaining play demonstrates what happens to our rivers if we pollute and abuse them, and how precious they are for our spiritual, emotional and physical health.

After the play, the rain had cleared enough for the procession. Led by the Fairmount High Marching Band, the procession carried the Dream Weaver artworks through the streets of Sasmeer estate. The learners also carried nine huge bird puppets; and some wore angels and baboon costumes provided by the Masiphumelele Creative Hub. The colourful display and drums drew many Sasmeer residents who came out of their homes to watch and film the parade.

The procession wound through the streets to Princess Vlei, pausing to disperse ‘seed bombs’. These were balls of soil and seed for indigenous strandveld plants, which the procession participants threw into our restoration site. This act was a wonderful commitment to creating an enlivened future of living in harmony with nature and each other. The procession concluded with a display of the Fairmount High Marching Band’s skills in military tattoos.
      The artworks will be installed at Princess Vlei, but we plan to display them in other venues first. There will also be an on line exhibition.
     The project was a collaboration between the Princess Vlei Forum and the Peter Clarke Art Centre. Huge thanks are due to all our wonderful volunteers; to the Tempo, Galeforce and Grassy Park Neighbourhood Watch, the Grassy Park Community Policing Forum and Commumed for keeping us safe; to Mr Roomany for donating juice. And of course to our funders, the City of Cape Town Grant in Aid fund, and the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth.

Below is the Dream Weaver's Poem in full.

Lets weave a world
Where kids are safe
And we all have homes
And a warm bed at night

Where soft rains fall
And the air is clean
And we all can breathe

Where wild animals roam
And wild flowers bloom
And forests grow tall

Lets weave a world
Where rivers run free
And sweet waters flow
For all to drink

Where there is no waste
We eat what we need
And we all have enough

Where coal’s in the ground
And our energy comes
From the sun and the wind

Lets weave a world
Where fynbos flourishes
And wetlands thrive
Where  songbirds sing

Where the ocean is clean
So whales can breathe
and coral reefs grow

Where nature’s our teacher
And animals our friends
And plants help us heal

Let's weave a world
Where we all get along
Where guns are gone
Where we are free to be

Where we all have rights
Where we all are equal
Where we all can learn

Where people are kind
Where we comfort the sick
and care for the old

Let's weave a world
Where there is laughter and life
Where we love and take care
Of each other and the earth

Where ‘we’ means all humans, all creatures, all plants
Lets weave these connections
Let’s weave a world…

‘This is a victory over the selfish needs of capitalism.’
      So said Cllr Kevin Southgate at the unveiling of the Provincial Heritage Site Plaque on 12 October.
     Cllr Southgate commented that he was fighting for Princess Vlei long before he was a councillor. ‘I remember standing on Prince George Drive with a placard reading, ‘No to the mall of death, Yes to the Princess.’
      All the community’s efforts culminated in the decision by the city in 2014 when it agreed to stop the proposed development of the mall. When elected as ward councillor I committed myself to assisting and bringing to reality the people’s plan for princess vlei. Over the past six years the city has contributed millions as part of its commitment to the restoration and development of Princess  Vlei Park,’ Cllr Southgate said.
      The Councillor quoted Chief John Jansen in his submission to HWC: in a community facing extreme social and historical challenge, such as loss of identity, resources, land and way of life it is as important to restore the cultural ecological link of helping to rebuild a semblance of our past, to ensure a future for our children. A past representing a people whose lived values of sustainable use of resources, expressing their history to the care and stewardship of nature, a people who lived by the collective values of sustainable development can be restored once again.’

Gary Stewart, Chairperson of the Princess Vlei Forum, commented on how proud he was of the Forum, and the hard work done by all its employees and volunteers, and all community stakeholders, to secure this victory. As important was the ongoing work to restore the biodiversity heritage of the vlei by re-indigenising the vegetation on site, and to make local schools and community members aware of the cultural, social and natural value of the site.
      Stewart reflected on the historical neglect of Princess Vlei, and said that achieving heritage status was not the end of the  road, it was a significant milestone in the struggle to restore the vlei.  However, there was still much to be done. ‘We thank the councillor and and the City of Cape Town for all they have done, and which to assure both the CoCt and HWC that in the Forum you have a very passionate and committed community partner. We may not always be agreeable, but we are fully behind any efforts to enhance the vlei and to deepen its value as a place of heritage for our community.’
      Delivering the keynote address, Minister Anroux Marais, provincial Minister of Cultural affairs and Sport spoke about the rich history of the vlei, and its cultural significance to the community., describing it as a ‘unique landscape of people’s identity.’
        She spoke about the significance of the Princess Vlei myth in our history, and said that ‘The Princess Vlei represents a place of unity, healing and identity, all of which is much needed in the current climate. The heritage status communicates clearly that the heritage community and agencies consider this site to be an asset that warrants serious and focussed conservation attention from all parties.’
       This is indeed a significant milestone. However, as the Forum we are acutely aware that much needs to be done to secure the heritage value of Princess Vlei. The legacy of decades of neglect is not easily overcome, and we welcome the minister’s statement that the site merits serious and focussed conservation attention from all parties.
      This does indeed represent a victory of people over profit, for it has been the sustained action of thousands of community members, from school children to pensioners, which has led to this victory. Our young Princess Vlei guardians represent a new generation who will take this legacy forward. We look forward to working with the City and Heritage Western Cape into transforming the Princess into a precious community treasure, embodying our cultural, social and environmental identity for generations to come.  To quote Ian McCallum, 'In damaging the landscape, you damage the soul of the community.’ Equally, restoring that landscape can heal the soul of the community. That is our over-arching mission and dearest wish.

No pollution… end to global warming… people respect nature… children are safe… plants can grow… we all have what we need…human rights for all…
   These are some of the wishes for the world expressed by Lotus High learners at a workshop held at the Princess Vlei Eco-centre during the school holidays last week.
Fifteen learners came together to study the relationships existing in nature at Princess Vlei, and think about what nature can teach us about healing the world and making it a better place for all beings who live in it, human, plant an animals. 
    The group started off with an exercise to create a web, exploring what makes a web strong. They then went into the natural areas around the vlei to study the relationships in nature. 
‘We observed a snail and a slime lily, and a feather indicating the bird, and a piece of glass. The slime lily benefits the snail, and the snail benefits the bird, but the broken glass benefits nothing and is     harmful,’ one group noted.
    Later, the learners discussed the different types of relationships in nature - parasitic, commensalist, and mutualist, and spoke about how these can teach us to live with nature and each other in a way that is not harmful, the benefits those who are connected.

   The learners drew mind maps to show these relationships and came up with a number of wishes for how we could create a kinder, more sustainable and just world. These were then narrowed down to 9 wishes, which the learners painted on boards to form part of the collaborative artwork that will be installed at Princess Vlei at a celebration event on October 16
    The artworks will take the form of giant webs. They will incorporated contributions of creative work of over a hundred learners from Harmony Primary, Hillwood Primary, Levana Primary, Lotus High, Muhammadeyah Primary, Primrose Park Primary and the Peter Clarke Art Centre. 
Learner’s also tie-dyed fabric to be used as part of the art work. This was a popular activity, with some learners being inspired to dye their clothes and shoe laces as well!
    The learner’s visions, and the visions of primary school learners from five schools, will be woven into a poem which will be performed by Lotus High learners on the day.
The celebration on the 16th will include a procession through from the Retreat Civic through the streets of Sasmeer estate to the eastern shore of Princess Vlei; a ceremony to install the artworks, and a performance of the River of Life by The Jungle Theatre Company. We invite members of the public to come and view the procession and the wonderful artworks. 
    We also plan to share some of the artworks in an online exhibition and a display at the Grassy Park Library at a later date. 

• This project was made possible by funding  from the City of Cape Town Grant in Aid fund and the  Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private wealth.

There are many wondrous tales about the mermaid or water monster that lives at Princess Vlei, but not so many know about the giant octopus on its banks.
      The ‘octopus’ plant,  better known as a waxberry, or Morella cordifolia, is a sprawling member of the Dune Strandveld plant community. This one, planted four years ago by school learners on the eastern shore as part of the Forum’s restoration project, now has tentacles spreading over eight meters in all directions.  In a natural setting, these waxberry plants would be controlled by herds of eland moving through.
    The ‘Octopus’ plant was one of many wonderful plants featured on the Princess Vlei Forum Spring Walk on October 2. While the weather was more wintry than springy, twenty die-hard enthusiasts braved the weather to accompany restoration expert Alex Lansdowne and discover some botanical treasures at Princess Vlei.

Lansdowne explained the Princess Vlei is located on a gradient between the acid soil of the critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, and the alkaline soil of the endangered Dune Strandveld. This provides the potential for restoring unique endemic plants that are found almost nowhere else
    These include the Serruria foeniculacea, or Rondevlei Spiderhead, a plant brought back from extinction by Howard Langley in the 70’s and cultivated at Rondevlei. Seedling and seeds planted at Princess Vlei are thriving, and the site has the potential to host the biggest community of this rare plant.
      Also thriving are other protea species grown on site from specially prepared seed such as the Protea scolymocephala  (aka Wit skollie, or sugar bush), and the leucadendron florid, and the beautiful Pelargonium Triste and Pelargonium betulinim.
       After the walk, damp chilly walkers were warmed by coffee, muffins and rusk generously donated by Tony Klein at the Jolly Carp Saturday market.
        In the words of local resident, Erica Williams: ‘The kids got to be out in the fresh air, with the sun on their skin. We learned about the names, which we'll try to remember, and were made so much aware of the plants that are important.  We'll be able to point the plants and flowers out. We’re glad, we joined in with the walk, and want to make a difference to our vlei, as little as the kids are now, so that when they are grown, they will have all the beauty restored to our Princess vlei.
       I  found the network, unity and just people who want to do more and hopefully get more people involved. We are connected, just as the vlei's flow…  how the one vlei, leads to the next. We need each other, we love our vlei.  All , I can say is, Thank God, no mall was build on it’

‘I would like to live in a world where… people would get along; the gangsters could not kill anyone; people can take care of nature and each other; no-one can look down to people that don’t have.’

These are the wishes of Shaun Amos (Grade 6) Hillwood Primary School in Lavender Hill. The Princess Vlei Forum is currently collecting children’s wishes for the world to be part of an art installation to be displayed at Princess Vlei on 16 October.

This forms part of our ‘Dream Weavers’ project to help children learn from the positive connections and relationships in nature, and explore how we can use this knowledge to imagine a more caring and safer world. Schools involved include Hillwood, Levana, Harmony, Primrose Park and Muhammadeyah Primary School, and Lotus High School.

Dream Weavers project will include a display at Grassy Park library on 11 to 15 October, and a celebration at Princess Vlei on 16 October. This will include a short procession with the learner’s artworks through Sassmeer Estate, and a performance of The River of Life by the Jungle Theatre Company.

In art workshops held over the last month, learners painted pictures of various species that they had seen at Princess Vlei in field trips in August. These beautiful paintings will form part of the art installation and library display.

Despite the slight but chilly wind that accompanied 25 parents and learners from Herschel Girls Preparatory School Eco Club during an outing to Princess Vlei on this year’s first Saturday in Spring, activities ensured all participants were warm.
     After an introduction from WESSA Western Cape Membership who had co-ordinated the event with Margot Roebert, Herschel teacher and Eco Club manager, there was a short explanation by Bridget Pitt and Denisha Anand  – representatives of Princess Vlei Forum and dedicated stewards of the Vlei. They spoke about:

• the history of the area–Khoe occupation, the legend of the princess whose tears created the Vlei, neglect by succeeding governments and the seven-year Save the Vlei campaign, which ensured that the shores would never be the site of a once proposed shopping mall
• the current restoration programme of the indigenous Cape Flats Fynbos–largely undertaken by school work-parties who also benefit from knowledge of bird life and bio-diversity as well as engage in art and drama projects at the Vlei, events run by Denisha and Bridget throughout the year. 

     Soon the group set to work collecting litter (wind in the area ensures litter arrives from elsewhere, as well as from visitors to the Vlei who enjoy the recreational facilities on offer. It is also washed down the canal that feeds the vlei), planting a hundred-and-twenty Pelargonium Capitatum, a hardy dune strandveld species.  The recent rains softened the soil, making this task  easy even for little hands.  After the planting, the team pulled out  several hundred square metres of blue lupins with great enthusiams. These invaders spread rapidly, displacing indigenous plants.
     This proved a  rewarding morning for all. And some families remained to picnic at the tables provided at the Princess Vlei braai area.   
      It was clear that learners and parents all had a good time. Several announced it was their first, but not their last, visit to the Vlei. Some even said they hadn’t known of the existence of the Vlei … and there it is set right on Prince George Drive, a few minutes from Muizenberg beaches in one direction and in the other a stone’s throw from Main Road Diep River, Kenilworth Centre and Cavendish Square, with the best views on the Peninsula of the Table Mountain range, most especially Constantiaberg.